Guyana, Saudi Arabia sign two-year MoU for collaboration in 17 areas

Press Release by the Guyana Football Federation

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) inked a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday that covers a broad range of areas designed to significantly bolster the football ecosystem in Guyana.

The MOU, which is the first between the two nations, was signed on May 16 by GFF President Wayne Forde and SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal on the margins of FIFA’s 74th Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand.

It will see collaboration in 17 areas including: marketing and commercial activities, sports facilities, coach development, refereeing, academies and technical development, league and competition development, women’s football, youth football, futsal, beach soccer, sports science and sports medicine, and governance issues.

GFF President Wayne Forde stated that “this MoU is another step by the Federation to ensure our national players are provided every opportunity to compete at the highest level through strategic partnerships.”

“The GFF continues to place strong emphasis on expanding its reach across the football world by creating new network opportunities within the Global football family. Our collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Football Federation will open up a new frontier to the GFF and SAFF for cultural exchanges and capacity building in the areas of Sports Science, Youth Development, Infrastructure Development, Women’s Football and Youth Football among others. I would like to thank President Yasser Al Misehal for his warm friendship and generous consideration of the establishment of this groundbreaking partnership. Over the next 2 years, the GFF and the SAFF will apply our best efforts in the creation of an exemplary impactful legacy of the true spirit of cooperation and collaboration among football nations. Football Unites the World.”

The MoU comes just two months after the historic FIFA Series, where Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team competed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and resulted in a working relationship being established between the GFF and Saudi presidents.

During their stint in Saudi Arabia, the Golden Jaguars delivered a commendable performance, falling short with a 1-0 loss to Cabo Verde in their opener, but rebounding strongly to clinch a commanding 4-1 victory over Cambodia at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.

The FIFA Series saw 19 other nations from six confederations participating, and it enables teams to compete outside their confederation, allowing member associations to forge connections and create opportunities for their players.

In the upcoming months, the GFF will collaborate with the SAFF to arrange International Friendlies for both the women’s and youth national teams.