World Cup football qualifier
Senior squad in race against time
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
January 17, 2004
Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Neider Dos Santos, is concerned about the time the senior national squad has to prepare for World Cup qualifier competition.
Dos Santos yesterday confirmed that a 26-man squad would be encamped on Friday, but worried that the senior side would not have sufficient time to be properly prepared for the upcoming competition.
The Brazilian was responding to queries concerning the postponement of the trials which were scheduled to commence on Thursday but will now start on Monday. "I think that we are losing time. My concerns are that the seniors are more difficult to deal with. The under-23s only performed well because we had five months to prepare them," Dos Santos said.
Guyana has just over a month to get into shape before battling Grenada in the first match of a World Cup Qualifier home-and-away tie. That game is fixed for the Spice Island on February 28.
A release from the GFF stated that trials will be held at the Camptown ground from Monday to Thursday thereafter a 26-member squad will be encamped until March 15.
Grenada have already started groundwork having played a friendly international against Barbados where they lost 2-0.
"They have another match against Barbados planned and are scheduled to take on Canada," Dos Santos stated. The winner of the home-and-way tie will face the USA in the next round.
"The task ahead of us is very difficultà the time lost makes it more difficult. We need at least one month to get the team fit. Then more time is needed to work on other areas. Without fitness we can do nothing," Dos Santos added.
The technical director said that he would not be in favour of attempting to rush the process of achieving fitness which would only increase the risk of sustaining injuries.
"I have asked for two international warm-up games before we play our first game against Grenada," Dos Santos said. The Brazilian said he requested matches against strong sides but did not provide the GFF with possible names. He also requested that the friendly games be played between February 8 and 15
"I would consider Trinidad, Jamaica and Cuba as strong sides in the Caribbean; and any Central American country.
"I would be aiming to do my best with what I have but it would have been better if we started earlier," Dos Santos said.
When contacted, GFF President Colin Klass blamed the recent moving of the federation's office for the postponement of the trials.
Meanwhile, Dos Santos disclosed that only four overseas-based players are here for trials. The GFF has released the name of 11 overseas based player in a 37-man squad called to trials.
The players are: Randolph Jerome, Charles Pollard, Cary Harris, Kayode McKinnon, Howard Lowe and Abassy McPherson who play in the Trinidad and Tobago professional league; Jermaine Browne, Richard Reynolds, Neil Hernandes and Anthony Abrams who play in Suriname and Daniel Matthews of the USA. Other members of the trials squad are: Andrew Duranat, Marlon Hendricks, Fidel Smith, Orville Bobb, Sherwin Cadogan, Ornaldo Gilgeous, Leslie Holligan, Kelvin McKenzie, Walter Moore, Daxton Parks, Elroy Parks, Clevaughn Slowe, Travis Waterton, Dirk Archer
Shawn Beveney, Shawn Bishop, Carl Cole, Travis Grant, Johnathan Peters, Jerome Richardson, Emerick Williams, Nigel Codrington, Delon Glen, Eron Hayde, Devon Millington and Gregory Richardson.