Barcelona player to visit Guyana as part of GFF/DBU partnership

Barcelona and Danish national team forward Martin Braithwaite will visit Guyana next week in his first assignment as the Goodwill Ambassador of the capacity building partnership between the Danish Football Association (DBU) and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), which has been facilitated by UEF A Assist and Concacaf.

Braithwaite, 31, has a strong connection with the ‘Land of Many Waters’ through his father, who is Guyanese.

The Barcelona forward, who will visit Guyana from June 22-26, has amassed 60 caps for the Danish national team, including selection for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.

“The visit of a player of Martin’s calibre and standing underlines the significance of the partnership between the DBU and the GFF, and the importance that both organisations place on delivering real impact on the ground to develop football in Guyana,” said GFF President Wayne Forde.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Martin to Guyana and we look forward to working with him in the future as we continue to build on this strong, close relationship with our Danish partners,” Forde added.

In a busy schedule, Braithwaite will on June 22 be introduced to the media as the Goodwill Ambassador of the DBU-GFF partnership.

The following day, he will visit tourist attractions in Georgetown, pay a courtesy call on Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., visit the proposed D’Urban Park site which will host the GFF’s planned national football stadium, before rounding off the day with a novelty futsal match at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

On June 24, the former Middlesborough and Toulouse player will visit the place of his father’s birth in Charlestown and participate in the launch of the UEFA Assist/DBU Women’s Development League at the OFF National Training Centre.

Before heading home to Europe, Braithwaite will also take time out to visit a grassroots football tournament and watch the GFF Blue Water UIS Girls’ Development League at the GFF National Training Centre.