Guyana absent from 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship
Guyana will once again not compete in the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, as the local confederation confirmed the 12 nations that will contest the 2024 edition from April 13th–20th at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua.
This is the second consecutive tournament that Guyana will not appear in, despite not having a qualification competition.
Guyana did not participate in the 2021 edition in Guatemala, which also did not have a prior qualification process.
Efforts to contact GFF General Secretary Ian Alves for a comment proved futile. Calls to his cell phone went unanswered until press time.
Guyana participated in the 2016 qualifiers, finishing with a record of one win and two losses in Havana, Cuba. Guyana defeated Antigua and Barbuda 3-2 in their final fixture but lost to Curacao 2-5 and Trinidad and Tobago 3-4 in their earlier matches.
The 2016 Guyana roster, which comprised locally-based players, included Travis Bess, Richard Reynolds, Konata
Manning, Sherwin Skeete, Jermin Junior, Solomon Austin, Eusi Phillips, Jerome Richardson, Daniel Favourite, and Travis Grant.
The management team consisted of Joseph Wilson (head coach), Claude Bolton (technical director), Denzil Thompson (goalkeeper coach), and Mark Younge (team manager).
Meanwhile, the 12 countries were divided into three groups of four. Group A comprises three-time defending champion Costa Rica, Mexico, Suriname, and Haiti, while Group B contains Panama, Cuba, Canada, and Nicaragua. Group C is made up of Guatemala, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic.
“The tournament will begin with a group stage. After round-robin play, the group winners, runners-up, and the two best-placed third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage. At the conclusion of the event, the top four finishers (semifinalists) will qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024”, CONCACAF stated.