GUYANA coach, Jamaal Shabazz, described his team’s historic 2-1 defeat of his home country Trinidad and Tobago on Friday as a bittersweet moment in his career.
The “Golden Jaguars” victory effectively ended the “Soca Warriors” 2014 World Cup campaign and booked Guyana’s spot in the next round alongside Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
“It was never anything personal with TT but you do get a bittersweet feeling,” Shabazz said.
The Caledonia AIA coach noted, however, his success can create opportunities for other local coaches to be hired in the region.
“It could open doors for so many of our coaches to get jobs with other Caribbean teams and it gives hope that we can take a team into a high level of competition,” he explained.
Shabazz did not take sole credit for masterminding TT’s downfall but hailed the effort of his players for getting the job done on the football field.
“There was no real secret...The players worked hard for it and sacrificed a lot especially in terms of remuneration. What they get is nothing close to what other players get in the region...The first half was pretty even but throughout the game we played with more heart and determination and in football, passion often overcomes talent,” he explained.
Shabazz, although reluctant to say whether Guyana have surpassed TT in their level of football, says most teams in the region are currently on the same par.
“The gap among Caribbean (teams) does not exist as football lovers in TT would like to think. The world has become very small through technology and coaching education (so) even small countries like Grenada and Antigua are able to put together a difficult team,” he pointed out.
Questioned whether he can guide his team over a next hurdle and into the final round of qualifiers against some of CONCACAF’s best, Shabazz is staying optimistic as they have already achieved what many said they would not.
“The same question was asked of us in this round and how did we answer? So I say again, it is not impossible for us to go to the stage of six but it will take a lot of planning, organisation and much more resources than the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has at this moment,” he said.
He called on the Government of Guyana as well as corporate bodies there to come on board and assist to make the World Cup dream a reality.
Shabazz admitted taking Guyana to the next round ranks number one in his greatest sporting achievements and thanked the GFF for keeping faith in him.
“Taking a national team to the second round is (my greatest achievement). I am happy to be part of this moment with them because they entrusted their football in my hands and that is a tremendous responsibility,” he stated.
Shabazz: A win for Caribbean coaches.
By: Ian Prescott (Express).
"This is for coaches in the region... in the Caribbean," said Guyana's Trinidadian coach Jamaal Shabazz after they progressed to the third-round at the expense of German-coached T&T who they edged 2-1 on Friday at the Providence National Stadium, Guyana.
Shabazz has always held the view that capable Caribbean coaches are not given high priority and respect by their own people for the top positions. He felt Guyana's win with a Caribbean coach over T&T, with highly-paid successful German Otto Pfister, says that Caribbean coaching has developed.
"This is for Everard "Gally" Cummings, Alvin Corneal, Jimmy Blanc, Anton Corneal, Stuart Charles Fevrier, Hutson Charles... all the local coaches because it was an important statement for us to make that our time is now.
"We have worked hard in the trenches as assistant coaches. We learned a lot from the people who came in, and we thankful for that. But, this is our time. This is not Jamaal Shabazz time, this is our time for local and Caribbean coaches, " said Shabazz.
Before taking up the head coach position with Guyana, the Caledonia AIA and former T&T women's team head-coach, also a former T&T men's national team assistant coach, has long held the view that there appeared little chance of him ever getting the T&T head coach's position.
He also especially took offense at a statement some years ago by Jamaican Football Federation president captain Horace Burrell, that a local coach could never get a Caribbean team to the World Cup.
"It's not a great feeling emotionally. It's something that brings a whole lot of mixed feelings," Shabazz said of knocking his country out of the World Cup.
"This is nothing personal against Trinidad and Tobago, but trying to make a statement on behalf of our people. Our coaches have worked hard, the have learned. They have studied and invested in their careers, and our time is now," Shabazz declared.
Also having mixed emotions was 26-year-old England-born Guyana midfielder Ricky Shakes, who played in a T&T national team shirt against Iceland when the Soca Warriors were preparing to participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Shakes never received a call-up from T&T again, but was also eligible to play for Guyana due to his parentage.
"Obviously things were not working out with Trinidad. I didn't get a call up from Trinidad, and I got the opportunity to play. Guyana wanted me, and I am happy for that."
Shakes added: "I was disappointed at first, a long time ago but I didn't let it get to me, and I proved to them that I have the ability and my confidence ain't low, " Shakes said. "I couldn't believe how the ball came to me, and I just said to myself hit the ball. I knew where the net was, and I hit the ball, it went into the net and I felt real good."
And after limping off on an ankle that he says needs surgery, 29-year-old popular former Joe Public striker Gregory "Jacky Chan" Richardson says he is not surprised at Guyana's victory.
"I have no real (surprised) feeling...because Trinidad football is not what it was," Richardson declared. "In the Caribbean all them countries have closed, so anyone could beat anyone now. Back in the days when Trinidad had Dwight Yorke and (Russell) Latapy, they could have changed a game. Eh, eh not now," Richardson said.