Stakeholders contented with quality of Bounce Back Football Classic

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Snapshot of Friday's game

Guyanese football fans, from the comfort of their homes, on Friday last (January 1) witnessed a high-end production and broadcast of the sport that surely quelled their hunger for year-end football.

In the aftermath, the game and production were hailed as successful by organizers who stood a big risk in hosting the tournament amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President, Wayne Forde was pleased that along with the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry and the Kashif and Shanghai Organization, they were able to prove that football can be hosted in these circumstances.

GFF President Wayne Forde

“So, to me, it’s not just the fact that we’ve been able to bring football back to the pitch, it’s that we’ve been able to prove to ourselves that we’re able to do it under very challenging circumstances and do it well,” Forde said.

While the competitive pace of the game might not have been up to his standard, the GFF boss shared that it is a good starting point after such a long hiatus.

“I think everyone was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the game. Clearly, for someone that has a deeper understanding of the game, the pace was a bit slow, you could see the technical ability of the guys was a bit off.

“When you consider most of these players have been inactive in a very structured way for the better part of 10 months, and to come out and give this kind of performance, we have to be pleased. I’ve been sitting with the National technical team and they feel they have something good to start with,” Forde explained.

Sharing similar sentiments was the subject Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr echoed praises for the quality of the game and broadcast.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr

“In relation to the quality of the football, it was impressive. Impressive especially when you consider the circumstances. The circumstances have been severe because anyone knows when you play sports, if you don’t get that constant practice, you start losing your touch. These guys have come out here and shown that they are at a good level to progress quickly. At least that would be the hope because they have qualifiers in March,” the Minister posited.

When probed about the collaboration between the three entities, Ramson highlighted that there was a need to think outside the box in order to reintroduce the game during the pandemic.

Snapshot of Friday’s game

“Recognizing that this pandemic is a challenge, it forced us to think laterally. It forced us to innovate. When we started to examine our options, it was important that when we have the product of broadcasting, it must be a high standard,” Ramson noted.

The Bounce Back final which was played at the National Stadium, Providence was championed by the Georgetown All Stars team by a 1-0 margin.

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