Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr has assured that an international venue for football in Guyana will soon become available, after months of not having such a venue.
The issue was raised in light of Guyana’s senior men’s national team, the Golden Jaguars, having to play their home game for the FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers overseas next month, similarly to their CONCACAF Nations League campaign in September to December last year.
During an invited comment with Sport Journalists on Friday last, Ramson Jr divulged that the pitch at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), West Coast Demerara is getting back in shape.
Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr
“Yeah, absolutely. So, we awarded the contract at the end of the year last year. We were going through a serious bout of dry spell in the country and that affected, not just Leonora, it affected a lot of grounds across the country. Without water, it’s difficult for grass to grow and even with some irrigation systems in place, it still is not the optimal condition,” the Sport Minister told media operatives at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
Ramson Jr further stated, “Having said that, I’ve seen an update on what the condition is right now and it’s getting back to a very, very, good condition. Even better than it was before. We are going to be in a strong position to host any matches that are going to be requested of us. Where that application is made to us, we’re going to be in a strong position to host.”
The Golden Jaguars’ home venues woes were put on embarrassing display last September, following a 3-2 victory for Guyana over the Bahamas at the NTFC, during the CONCACAF Nations League.
While the state of the chalky- looking pitch was highlighted immediately after the encounter concluded by Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz, CONCACAF later imposed a fine on the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) regarding the state of the pitch at the NTFC.
In imposing the fine, CONCACAF had informed the GFF that the playing surface was below the minimum required standards for international matches.
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