All Golden Jaguars players, officials test negative for coronavirus

The Golden Jaguars players and officials who were last weekend part of fitness sessions have all tested negative for COVID-19. This was confirmed by the Guyana Football Federation on Wednesday.

The fitness tests were aimed at providing important information for the coaching staff and will inform individual and squad training regimes in the run up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.

The evaluation, conducted over two days with different cohorts of players, followed testing of the domestic-based squad and backroom staff for the COVID-19 virus as part of protocols put in place under the UEFA Assist 100-day “Bounceback” programme.

GFF President Wayne Forde was pleased with the progress made by players during the sessions.

“Considering the lack of competition over the past year, we are pleased to report that the squad is already looking in good shape thanks in part to the individual training plans they were given by the GFF technical team during the lockdown.”

“Going forward, we will be taking every precaution necessary to ensure that the squad and staff remain safe and well during this time, including regular testing for COVID-19. We look forward to the full resumption of training in the coming days, as long as conditions allow, and remain ready to take any action required if the pandemic enters another difficult phase.”

The National COVID-19 Task Force has granted permission for training to resume as long as strict measures are in place to defend against the spread of the virus.

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars are preparing for some major international engagements in the coming months.

The senior national Men’s team has been drawn in Group F with Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas for the Concacaf regional qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which takes place in Qatar.

The Golden Jaguars will kick off their delayed campaign away against Trinidad and Tobago on March 25. The winner of the group will proceed to the second of three qualification rounds.