OFFICIAL BULLETIN

OF THE

CONFEDERATION

THE F OOTBALL CONFEDERATION

OF

N ORTH , CE N T R A L A M E R I C A & CA R I B B E A N A S S O C I A T I O N F O O T B A L L

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1999 VOLUME 9 / NUMBER 4

Necaxa of Mexico
wins the 1999
Champions Cup
in Las Vegas Nevada
Necaxa of Mexico advanced to the
inaugural FIFA Club World
Championship in Brazil with a comefrom-behind 2-1 victory over Alajuela of
Costa Rica in the blistering 100-plus
degree temperature at Sam Boyd Stadium
in Las Vegas. Necaxa earned one of eight
spots in the prestigious tournament as
representatives of The Football
Confederation.
Alex Aguinaga completed his tournament MVP performance with a flying
scissor-kick volley from 10 yards out on
a perfectly placed cross from the Edgar
David Oliva to tie the score 1-1.
The winning goal came in the 66th
minute for Necaxa after tournament goal
leader Agustin Delgado hit a cross from
the left wing that was redirected on goal
by Oliva. Oliva's touch deflected off
Alajuela goalkeeper Alvaro Messen to the
center of the goalkeeper area where an
onrushing Sergio Vasquez sent it home.
Alajuela jumped out in front on a
35th-minute penalty kick goal from Josef
Miso, after the forward was tripped at the
edge of the penalty area by Necaxa
defender Jaime Hernandez. The Costa
Rican club could have gone ahead 2-1
just one minute after the ejection of
Necaxa midfielder German Villa in the
56th minute, but Josef Miso missed a
penalty kick after being fouled a second
time in the box by Hernandez.
(continued on page 4)
The FC 1999 Champions Cup winners, Necaxa
Photo 1999 TONY QUINN

The FC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jack Austin Warner
President
Lisle Austin - Barbados
Vice-President, Caribbean Zone
Rafael Salguero - Guatemala
Vice-President, Central Zone
Alan Rothenberg - U.S.A.
Vice-President, North Zone
Anthony James - Jamaica
Member, Caribbean Zone
Sergio Torres - El Salvador
Member, Central Zone
Hugo Kiese - Mexico
Member, North Zone
Chuck Blazer
General Secretary

The FC REPRESENTATIVES TO FIFA

Jack Austin Warner

FIFA Vice-President

Isaac Sasso

Executive Committee Member

Chuck Blazer

Executive Committee Member

Office of the President

Jack Austin Warner
Edward and Oxford Street, Port of Spain,
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Phone: 1-868-625-9611 Fax: 1-868-625-9609
concacaf@cariblink.net

Office of the Deputy General Secretary

The FC/UNCAF Headquarters
Oscar Thamar Torres
15 Avenida A 20-07, Zona 13, PO Box 916
Guatemala City, Guatemala C.A.
Phone: 1-502-361-6996 Fax: 1-502-361-5577
concacaf@quetzal.net

Office of the Deputy General Secretary

The FC/CFU Headquarters
Harold Taylor
131 Eastern Main Rd, Arouca, Trinidad W.I.
Phone: 1-809-646-5753 Fax: 1-809-646-4076
cfu@wow.net

The FC NEWS
Published at The FC Headquarters
Office of the General Secretary
725 Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 1-212-308-0044 Fax: 1-212-308-1851
concacafny@aol.com
Editor
Art Director
Translation
Production

Carlos Giron
Michael Maselli
Victoria Posloncec-Rospigliosi
Nino Bussani
Miguel Rivera

President Jack Warners Message

2000 - A Year of Action for
The Football Confederation
The coming twelve months are a time of
almost uninterrupted international competition for the best teams that this
Confederation has to offer.
Already, we are proud to have sent the
young men of Mexico, Jamaica and the
United States on the long journey to New
Zealand to compete in the FIFA Under 17
(Junior) World Championship.
They will not be home long, and celebrating, we hope, before Necaxa fly down to Rio de Janeiro to confront Manchester
United in the first game of the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship
It is difficult to conceive of a more difficult opponent for the Mexican winners of
the Champions Cup but we know they will face the task with determination and all
our good wishes.
From Brazil, the action will swiftly switch back north to our premier national
team event, the Gold Cup, to be played in Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego, where
we hope to repeat the playing and attendance success of the 1998 Gold Cup.
With hardly a break, we move into almost two months of Olympic Games qualifying, starting in Cuba or the Dominican Republic (one to be deleted
Oct 24 after the final game) and ending in the United States on April 30.
Time to draw breath, and then it is on to the start of qualification for the World
Cup of 2002, the inaugural Womens Gold Cup and the Olympic Games themselves
before action moves indoors to the FIFA Futsal Championship in Guatemala.
All this in addition to the normal week
in, week out competition in domestic
leagues and active national team programs
outside the realm of tournaments organized by FIFA or this Confederation.
Thus, all the more reason, and need, for
everyone involved in the Football
Confederation and its national associations
to re-double their efforts in organization,
communication and administration, so that
we can properly support the events and the
teams which carry our message and
progress to the public.

The Football Confederation President,

Jack Warner, presents the Champions Cup
trophy to Necaxa midfielder and tournament
MVP Alex Aguinaga
Photo 1999 Tony Quinn

The FC Executive Committee Meeting

New York City, December 1999
The Executive Committee, meeting for the first time under
the name of The Football Confederation, will have more than
fifty agenda items to review and discuss at their meeting in
New York on December 12- 14.
Current and future competitions will be an important part of
the agenda, as the football calendar moves closer to four
important international events. In the immediate future, the
Football Confederation now has three teams in New Zealand
for the FIFA Junior World Championship which begin shortly.
Close on the heels of the tournament is the new round of qualification for the Olympic Games of 2000, the Gold Cup of 2000
and the start of qualifications for the World Cup of 2002.
The Executive Committee will review the number of
Football Confederation countries which have entered the World
Cup and give final approval to the format for the preliminary
rounds which are expected to begin next spring. The first
Women's Gold Cup, to be held next year, will also figure on
the agenda with deliberation on the dates and venues for that
important new tournament.
There will also be consideration of plans for two FIFA events
to be held within the region over the coming two years - the

The FC Hosted FIFA

Executive Committee
Meeting In Las Vegas
At the invitation of The Football
Confederation President Jack Warner
and General Secretary Chuck Blazer,
the FIFA Executive Committee held a
meeting October 1-2 in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The meeting coincided with
The Football Confederations
Champions Cup which was also held
in Las Vegas.
Following the meeting held at the
MGM Grand hotel under the chairmanship of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, the
FIFA Executive Committee announced
ratification of an agreement reached
between FIFA and the Asian Football
Confederation. In the agreement, Asia
was allotted 4 places in the FIFA World
Cup and one play-off to be contested
with Europe.
At this meeting, the FIFA Executive
Committee reiterated the number of
places per continent as follows :

The Football Confederations Executive Committee

FIFA Futsal (Indoor) World Championship in Guatemala, in

2000, and the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Trinidad
and Tobago, in 2001.
The Executive Committee will also receive reports on
events already held, including the highly successful FIFA
Women's World Cup and FIFA Confederation's Cup, both held
within the Football Confederation and both won by countries
of the Confederation, the USA and Mexico respectively.
Reports from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), the
Union of Central American Football (UNCAF), the Joao
Havelange Centre of Excellence and the various departments
of the Confederation will round out the agenda.

THE FC: 3 places

UEFA: 14 places (including France as
world champions) plus one play-off
AFC: 4 places (including Japan and
Korea as hosts) plus one play-off
CONMEBOL: 4 places plus one
play-off
OFC: 1 play-off place
CAF: 5 places

The pairings for the play-offs were

fixed as follows : Europe against Asia,
and South America against Oceania. The
Asian request that the Asian team playoff against the Oceania representative,
was not accepted.
The Committee also set the dates for
the finals in Japan and Korea, with the
opening match in Korea on 1 June and
the final in Japan on 30 June 2002. This

decision followed studies by the respective confederations of the potential

impact of beginning the tournament
earlier, in late May.
Looking ahead to the 2006 FIFA
World Cup, it was decided that the
Executive Committee would select the
host nation at its meeting in Zurich on
5/6 July 2000.
Other subjects discussed:
A study group to examine the feasibility of introducing a World Cup for
players aged over 35 years.
Special attention to womens football to follow up on the success of the
Womens World Cup, in order to
increase participation worldwide by at
least 10 per-cent annually.
A study for the possibility of a
Womens Youth World Cup.
A joint FIFA/UEFA delegation to
meet with leaders of the European
Union in Brussels, to discuss sportspolitical matters.
A benefit football match, possibly
in Germany, to aid victims of the earthquake in Turkey.

Necaxa To Open The

2000 FIFA Club World
Championship Against
Manchester United
Necaxa, club champions of
The Football Confederation, were
drawn against Europe's best,
Manchester United, for the inaugural
FIFA Club World Championship.
The eight finalists were drawn
into two groups of
four; the winners
of which will play
in the final on
January 14. The
runners up will
play for third and
fourth place.
Necaxa, who won
the Champions' Cup in Las Vegas last
month, are in Group B, and will play at
Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro,
on January 5, 2000.
Others in Group B are 1998 Copa
Libertadores champions Vasco da
Gama of Brazil, South Melbourne of
Australia and the triple-winning
Manchester United, who Necaxa will
play first.
Manchester United last year won
the English Premiership, the FA Cup
and the European Champions League,
and are currently regarded as the most
successful club in world football.
Group A, to be played in Sao
Paulo, includes: Real Madrid, Al
Nassr, Corinthians and the African
team who will be decided in
December.
The groups for the 2000 FIFA Club
World Championship, 5-14 January are:
Group A:
Real Madrid (Spain)
Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia)
Corinthians (Brazil)
CAF team (TBD in December)
Group B:
Manchester United (United Kingdom)
Necaxa (Mexico)
Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
South Melbourne (Australia)

Sergio Vasquez of Necaxa dribbles past two Alajuela defenders during the 1999 Champions Cup
Photo 1999 Tony Quinn

(continued from front page)

In the third place match, D.C. United and the Chicago Fire shared honors after a
spirited 2-2 draw which saw the Fire come from two goals down in the second half
behind strikes from Ante Razov and Jesse Marsch. D.C. United got goals from A.J.
Wood and Antonio Otero to jump ahead 2-0.
The Football Confederation Champions Cup
Final Game Report
Alajuela (Costa Rica) vs. Necaxa (Mexico)
Date: October 3, 1999; 4:00 p.m. PT kickoff
Venue: Sam Boyd Stadium; Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 9,763, Weather: 101 degrees clear
Scoring Summary:
Alajuela - Josef Miso (penalty kick) 35th minute.
Necaxa - Alex Aguinaga (Edgar David Oliva) 47
Sergio Vazquez (Edgar David Oliva) 66.
Competing teams: 1998 CONCACAF champions D.C. United (USA), USA champions Chicago Fire, Summer tournament champions Toluca (Mexico), Winter tournament champions Necaxa (Mexico), Central American champions Olimpia
(Honduras), Central American runner up Alajuela (Costa Rica), Costa Rican champions Saprissa, and Caribbean champions Joe Public (Trinidad and Tobago).
All Results
28.09.99
28.09.99
29.09.00
29.09.99
Semi-Finals
01.10.99
01.10.99
Third Place
03.10.99
Final
03.10.99

Fire vs. Joe Public

Alajuela vs. Toluca
D.C. United vs. Olimpia
Necaxa vs. Saprissa

2:0 (18:00) (Game 1)

1:0 (20:00) (Game 2)
1:0 (18:00) (Game 3)
3:2 (20:00) (Game 4)

Alajuela vs. Chicago

Necaxa vs. DC United

1:1 (5:4 pks) (18:00)

3:1 (20:00)

Chicago vs. DC United 2:2 (14:00)

Necaxa vs. Alajuela

3:1

(16:00)

Tournament MVP: Alex Aguinaga, Necaxa.

Tournament Best Goalkeeper: Alvaro Mesen, Alajuela.
Golden Boot (top striker): Agustin Delgado, Necaxa (three goals).
Fair Play award: Alajuela. The prize pool for the The FC tournament is $300,000.

Gold Cup Begins in Miamis Orange

Bowl on February 12:
United States against Haiti Kicks Off the Twelve
Team Tournament
The United States and Haiti will open
the Football Confederations Gold Cup,
2000, in Miamis Orange Bowl on
February 12 before the games move on to
Los Angeles and San Diego.
After 19 games between the twelve
national teams, the first champion of the
new millenium will be awarded the Gold
Cup at the Los Angeles Coliseum on
February 27.
The announcement of the groups and
full schedule was made at the Football Confederation offices in
New York today by General Secretary and FIFA Executive
Committee member Chuck Blazer.
The 12 teams were divided into four groups of three, with
two groups being based in Miami, one in San Diego and one in
Los Angeles. The top two in each group will play in the quarter
finals in Miami and San Diego on February 19, 20, with the
semi finals in San Diego and Los Angeles on February 23, 24.
All games, except the semi finals and final, will be played as
double headers in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Qualcomm
Stadium in San Diego and the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Mexico battled the USA in the last Gold Cup Final in February 1998
1998 PAM/ISI

Gold Cup 2000 Groupings and Schedules

Group A - Jamaica, Colombia, Honduras at Miami
Group B - USA, Peru, Haiti at Miami
Group C - Mexico, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago at San Diego
Group D - Costa Rica, South Korea, Canada at Los Angeles
February 12 - Saturday - Miami
7 pm
USA vs Haiti
9 pm
Colombia vs Jamaica
February 13 - Sunday - San Diego
12 pm
Costa Rica vs Canada
2 pm
Mexico vs Trinidad
February 14 - Monday - Miami
7 pm
Jamaica vs Honduras
9 pm
Haiti vs Peru
February 15 - Tuesday - Los Angeles
7 pm
Trinidad vs Guatemala
9 pm
S Korea vs Canada
February 16 - Wednesday - Miami
7 pm
Honduras vs Colombia
9 pm
Peru vs USA
February 17 - Thursday - Los Angeles
7 pm
South Korea vs Costa Rica
9 pm
Mexico vs Guatemala
February 19 - Saturday - Miami
3 pm
Winner Group B vs Runner Up Group A
5:30 pm
Winner Group A vs Runner up Group B
February 20 - Sunday - San Diego
12 pm
Winner Group D vs Runner Up Group C
2:30 pm
Winner Group C vs Runner Up Group D
February 23 - Wednesday - San Diego - Semi Final
8 pm
Winners of Miami Quarter Finals
February 24 - Thursday - Los Angeles - Semi Final
8 pm
Winners of San Diego Quarter Finals
February 27 - Sunday - Los Angeles - Final
12 pm
Winners of the Semi-Finals
Gold Cup 2000 Playoffs Final Standings and Results
GP
W
L
T
GF/GA PTS
Canada
3
2
0
1
4:2
7
Cuba
3
1
1
1
3:2
4
Haiti
3
1
1
1
3:3
4
El Salvador 3
0
2
1
3:6
1
* Haiti advances based on its victory over Cuba
06.10.99
06.10.99
08.10.99
08.10.99
10.10.99
10.10.99

Canada vs Cuba
El Salvador vs. Haiti
Cuba vs. Haiti
El Salvador vs. Canada
El Salvador vs. Cuba
Canada vs. Haiti

0:0
1:1
0:1
1:2
1:3
2:1

CONCACAF Now Called

The Football Confederation
A new name, logo and web site have been introduced by the
controlling body for football in the regions of North America,
Central America and the Caribbean.
Known since its formation in 1961 by the
acronym CONCACAF, the Continental
Confederation of FIFA which oversees the activities
of 38 member associations will now be known as
The Football Confederation.
The new logo shows a pentagon, split into
three blocks by the figure of a soccer player. The
three blocks represent the three regions of The
Football Confederation.
Jack Warner, President of The Football Confederation, said:
We thought it was time to make a change, to present a more
vibrant and modern image to a part of the world which is making such headway in the game. Now, instead of an awkward
acronym, we have three simple and appropriate words.

General Secretary Chuck Blazer said: Our official name

remains the same Confederation of North, Central American
and Caribbean Association Football but the new name is easier to say and easier to understand.
It also takes the two most important words of our full title
Football and Confederation and uses them as our new name,
brand and address on the web, the communication tool which,
over time, will mean so much to all our
members and their respective public.
While the web site will continue to be
expanded over the coming months, the
media and fans will find updated information on important tournaments of The
Football Confederation and its members, as
well as previously unavailable historical information on competitions and other activities.
Among other things, the new web site provides daily updates
of our official competitions, information about member national
associations and their national leagues, text of official regulations and statutes, historical statistics and full access to the
archives ofour official newsletters. The new web site can be
reached at www.FootballConfederation.com.

Visit The FCs

new Website
The new Football Confederation website, www.footballconfederation.com, will
become the principal means of communication between members of the confederation and the world at large.
Already, the site is able to provide
timely information on events and personalities within the region, as well as considerable historical and archival detail.
However, the work has only just
begun. In time, website will provide
much more information and game results
in real time, updated with frequency, as
well as a complete historical and statistical review of the Confederation and its
member national associations.
The volume of collected data is
increasing weekly and will increase even
more when national associations respond
to research requests and provide their
necessary information, as well as links to
their own web sites.
Many requests for information from
the media and the general public, in many
parts of the world, have been received and
answered on, or through, the web site.

The United States Kicks Off The 1999 FIFA U-17

World Championship vs Host New Zealand
The United States will play in the opening
match of the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship
against host New Zealand on November 10th. The
USA is in Group A, which also includes Uruguay
and Poland.
The final draw for the 5th FIFA U-17 World
Championship placed first time qualifier Jamaica in
Group D with Paraguay, Burkina Faso and Quatar.
The junior Reggae Boyz open against Burkina
Faso, November 12 in Dunedin. Mexico was drawn into Group B with Spain, Ghana
and Thailand. The Mexicans will make their debut on November 11 against Thailand
in Napier.
1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship Grouping and Scheduling is:
Group A: (Auckland) New Zealand, UNITED STATES, Uruguay, Poland
Group B: (Napier) Ghana, Spain, MEXICO, Thailand
Group C: (Christchurch) Brazil, Australia, Mali, Germany
Group D: (Dunedin) JAMAICA, Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Qatar
Date
No.
10.11.99
1
11.11.99
2
11.11.99
3
11.11.99
4
12.11.99
5
12.11.99
6
12.11.99
7
12.11.99
8
13.11.99
9
13.11.99
10
13.11.99
11
13.11.99
12
14.11.99
13
14.11.99
14
14.11.99
15
14.11.99
16
16.11.99
17
16.11.99
18
16.11.99
19
16.11.99
20
17.11.99
21
17.11.99
22
17.11.99
23
17.11.99
24
Quarterfinals:
20.11.99
25
20.11.99
26
21.11.99
27
21.11.99
28
Semifinals:
24.11.99
29
24.11.99
30
Finals:
27.11.99
31
27.11.99
32

Next Round Of Olympic

Qualifying Games
Confirmed
The next three group stages of
qualification for the Olympic Games
of 2000 in Sydney, Australia, are now
complete. The last two to qualify were
Trinidad and Tobago, after a 2-2 draw
in Barbados, and Cuba, winners over
the Dominican Republic.
Cuba had to wait a week because,
Hurricane Irene caused flight cancellations for the team, the Match
Commissioner, Lisle Austin of
Barbados, and game officials.
Cuba up 4-0 on the first leg in the
Dominican Republic, duly won again
to enter Group A.

Match
New Zealand vs.USA
Ghana vs. Spain
MEXICO vs. Thailand
Uruguay vs. Poland
Brazil vs. Australia
Mali vs. Germany
JAMAICA vs. Burkina Faso
Paraguay vs. Qatar
Spain vs. Thailand
Ghana vs. MEXICO
New Zealand vs. Uruguay
USA vs. Poland
Australia vs. Germany
Brazil vs. Mali
Burkina Faso vs. Qatar
JAMAICA vs. Paraguay
Thailand vs. Ghana
Spain vs. MEXICO
Poland vs. New Zealand
USA vs. Uruguay
Germany vs. Brazil
Australia vs. Mali
Qatar vs. JAMAICA
Burkina Faso vs. Paraguay

Venue
Auckland
Napier
Napier
Auckland
Christchurch
Christchurch
Dunedin
Dunedin
Napier
Napier
Auckland
Auckland
Chirstchurch
Christchurch
Dunedin
Dunedin
Napier
Napier
Auckland
Auckland
Christchurch
Christchurch
Dunedin
Dunedin

Time
19:30
16:00
18:15
19:30
13:45
16:00
18:00
20:15
13:45
16:00
13:45
16:00
16:00
18:45
18:00
20:15
16:00
18:45
18:00
20:15
16:00
18:15
18:00
20:15

1st A vs. 2nd B

1st B vs. 2nd A
1st C vs. 2nd D
1st D vs. 2nd C

Auckland
Napier
Christchurch
Dunedin

14:00
16:00
14:00
16:00

W25 vs. W27

W26 vs. W28

Christchurch
Auckland

16:00
19:30

Match for 3rd place

Championship

Auckland
Auckland

13:15
16:00

The format of The Football

Confederation's qualifying competition
for the Olympic Football Tournament,
Sydney 2000 is as follows:
Twelve teams have been placed in
three groups of four and will compete
in a round robin, with the top two
teams earning a berth to the finals to be
held in the United States, April 21-30,
2000. As hosts, the United States
receives a bye into the finals.
Each group will play in a different
venue. The venues and schedule will be
announced.
Here is how the teams are grouped:
GROUP A
USA (bye), Panama, Cuba, Bermuda
GROUP B
Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras
GROUP C
Canada, Guatemala, Netherlands
Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago

The Football Confederation Calendar Of Events

1999

EVENT

LOCATION

10-27 November

FIFA U-17 World Championship

12-14 December

The FC Executive Committee Meeting

New Zealand
New York

2000
5 - 14 January

FIFA Club World Championship

Brazil

12 - 27 February

The FC Gold Cup

March

The FC Olympic Qualifier First Round Group A

TBA

March

The FC Olympic Qualifier First Round Group B

TBA

April

The FC Olympic Qualifier First Round Group C

TBA

21 - 30 April

The FC Olympic Qualifier Final Round

USA

May 13

The FC Congress

July

The FC Womens Gold Cup

TBA

July

FIFA Five a Side Qualifying Tournament

TBA

13-30 September

Olympic Football Tournament

November

FIFA Futsal World Championship

November

The FC U-17 Qualifying Tournament

TBA

January

The FC U-20 Qualifying Tournament

TBA

April

FIFA U-17 World Championship

Trinidad & Tobago

TBA

FIFA U-20 World Championship

Argentina

Miami, San Diego, Los Angeles

Nassau, Bahamas

Sydney,Australia
Guatemala

2001

U.S. Soccer To
Experiment With
Two-Referee System
The FIFA Referees Committee has
authorized the US Soccer Federation to
experiment with using two referees
simultaneously on the field. The USSF
has been cleared to try the experiment
in one of their domestic competitions.
National associations of Malaysia,
Egypt, Brazil and Italy were also
appointed to conduct this experiment.
The associations have been asked
to send to FIFA the complete calendar
of all their matches due to be officiated
by two referees. Once the calendar of
matches has been set, a member of the
FIFA Referees Committee will visit
the countries involved to organize a
one-day course with the help of the
referees committee of the respective
national association, and to coach the
match officials and referees inspectors
concerned regarding the parameters.