CONFEDERATION OF NORTH, CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER

MAY 2001

VOLUME 11 / NUMBER 2

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Group A Winners USA Move on to the FIFA U-17 Junior Championship (Photo Tony Quinn, SoccerPixUSA)

FIFA UNDER-17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 2001 - KICKS OFF
A celebration of Trinidadian culture was on display
when the draw ceremony for the 2001 FIFA U-17 World
Championship was held Wednesday 9 May at the Tobago
Hilton.
The high point of the night, to be sure, came when the 16
countries that have qualified for the finals found out their
opponents for the sixth edition of the FIFA junior championship. But all attendees on the night were also treated to a slice of life from the twinisland republic, the smallest nation ever to be awarded a FIFA world championship.
"This is an historic time for sport and the people of Trinidad & Tobago. To hold a
FIFA championship is an honour given to few, and now it is our time when the world's
attention will be on our nation and on our people," said Jack Warner. "We look forward to welcoming the world to our islands ... and to the first football world championship to be held in the Caribbean."
Warner, of course, is a FIFA Vice President as well as President of the
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. But he
also holds the title of Chairman of the FIFA Committee for Youth Competitions, as is
also Honorary Chairman of the tournament's Local Organizing Committee.
Immediately prior to the actual draw itself, Warner received the championship trophy from the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol, the winner of the 1999 FIFA Under17 World Championship in New Zealand. The trophy will then be held until 30
September when it will again be presented to the captain of the winning team, this
time after the final at the Hasely Crawford National Stadium in Port-of-Spain.
But before then, the various dignitaries, honored guests, officials and team representatives were treated to music (including the FIFA anthem) from the Redemption
Sound Setters, the national anthem of Trinidad & Tobago from the Signal Hill Alumni
Choir, and a demonstration of native dance.
(continued on Page 3)

15 May
(Copa Caribe)
Martinique Barbados; Trinidad & Tobago Jamaica
16 May
(Copa Caribe)
Haiti St. Kitts & Nevis; Cuba Suriname
17 May
(Copa Caribe)
Jamaica Martinique; Trinidad & Tobago Barbados
18 May
(Copa Caribe)
Suriname Haiti; St. Kitts & Nevis Cuba
19 May
(Copa Caribe)
Trinidad & Tobago Martinique; Barbados Jamaica
20 May
(Copa Caribe)
Suriname St. Kitts & Nevis; Haiti Cuba
22 May
(Copa Caribe) Semifinals
23 May
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
El Salvador Nicaragua; Costa Rica Belize;
Honduras - Panama
24 May
(Copa Caribe) Third-Place Match
25 May
(Copa Caribe) Final
25 May
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
Guatemala Belize; El Salvador Panama;
Honduras Nicaragua
27 May
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
Panama Nicaragua; Costa Rica Guatemala;
Honduras El Salvador
30 May
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
Final Round (Match 1)
30 May
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Mexico Australia (Suwon, Korea)
31 May
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Canada Japan (Niigata, Japan)
1 June
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Mexico Korea Republic (Ulsan, Korea)
1 June
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
Final Round (Match 2)
2 June
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Canada Brazil (Ibaraki, Japan)
3 June
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Mexico France (Ulsan, Korea)
3 June
(UNCAF Copa de Naciones)
Final Round (Match 2)
4 June
(FIFA Confederations Cup)
Canada Cameroon (Niigata, Japan)

RECENT ELECTIONS
Arubaanse Voetbal Bond
PRESIDENT: Marcolino Croes
TREASURER: Edwin Lopez
VICE PRESIDENT: Rufo Kelly
GENERAL SECRETARY: Antonio Geerman

CONFEDERATION NEWS - MAY 2001

PAGE 2

PRESIDENT JACK WARNERS MESSAGE

2001 FIFA WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

The work of the Confederation is

now starting to extend further and further into the future of football in our
region with a new and coordinated program of development.
Any neutral observer can see readily
how much the standards have improved
over the past decade throughout the
Confederation which means we must
now re-double our efforts because even
greater progress is plainly within our
grasp.
Thus it is that a series of vital courses and seminars have been planned and scheduled to take place
at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence in Trinidad, Such
courses and seminars will in due course cover every aspect of
the beautiful game.
With two Level 1 coaching courses already held on behalf of
the Caribbean Football Union, we next go to a Level II course
for Spanish-speaking coaches, then to a marketing workshop
The Business of Football for which the FA of England has
developed the curriculum and will provide the lecturers. This is
an outcome of a warm relationship which I have established
with the Chairman of the FA, Geoff Thompson.
Still to come later this year will be administration courses for
schoolteachers and a goalkeeping coach workshop. Also, discussions are now under way for a womens football coaching seminar.
There are others but I have mentioned those above to give
everyone some idea of the breadth of subjects which the simple
word development covers.
So, our most comprehensive development program is under
way and we shall be adding more and more subjects as the
months pass by.
While so much attention is focused on todays events, such as
the World Cup qualifying games for instance, it should be comforting for the whole football family to know how much attention the Confederation is paying to tomorrow.

Canada saw its name come up alongside the

biggest names in world football, while Jamaica
will kickoff the tournament as the four FC representatives found out their fates in the 2001
World Youth Championship, set for 17 June 8 July in Argentina.
Canada, the winners of the FC Group A qualifying tournament in
early March, were drawn into Group B along with Brazil, Germany
and Iraq. South American youth champions, Brazil is a three-time
winner of the World Youth Championship (Under-20) with two runner-up placings and two third-place finishes, having qualified for 12 of
the 13 finals since the tournaments inception in 1977. Germany,
third-place finisher in the European championship, won the 1981
finals and finished runner-up in 1987, while Iraq, the Asian champion,
is appearing for the first time since 1987.
Jamaica was drawn into Group A along with the host nation,
Egypt and Finland. The Young Reggae Boyz will face their biggest test
on 23 June when they play Argentina, winners of two of the past three
WYCs (1995 and 1997) as well as in 1979. Egypt last qualified in 1991,
while Finland have never played in the World Youth finals.
The FCs other two representatives, the USA and Costa Rica, face
tests of their own.
The USA, winner of the FCs Group B qualifier, was drawn into
Group C, along with Chile, China PR and Ukraine. China PR is in their
fourth World Youth Championship, last in 1997, after taking the third
Asian spot on penalty kicks in a victory against Iran. Chile is appearing in their third finals, finishing fourth on home soil in 1987, while
Ukraine, beaten European finalists, are also appearing in the finals for
the first time.
Costa Rica are in Group E, along with Ecuador, Netherlands and
Ethiopia. Only Netherlands have previously appeared in the FIFA
Under-20 finals, on two occasions (1983, 1995).
The six groups for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship:

DRAW FOR 2001 CONFEDERATIONS CUP

The draw for the 2001 FIFA Confederations
Cup placed 2000 FC Gold Cup winner Canada in
Group B alongside Brazil, Japan, and Cameroon,
meaning the Canadians will have the unfortunate
challenge of facing the current top-ranked team in
the the FIFA World Ranking, the tournament cohosts and the current Olympic champions in succession in group play throughout Japan.
Canadas first game will be on 31 May against
the co-hosts Japan in Niigata, while Brazil faces
Cameroon in Ibaraki. Canada then travels to
Ibaraki to play Brazil on 2 June, before playing its
final round-robin match back in Niigata against
Cameroon on 4 June. Cameroon won the gold
medal in the Sydeny Olympic Games.
The FCs other representative, defending
Confederations Cup champion Mexico, will be
located in Korea along with defending World Cup
champion France, Australia and Korea Republic.
The top two teams from each group advance to
the semifinals. The semi-finals are in Yokohama,
Japan and Suwon, Korea Republic, with the final
set for Yokohama.

GROUP A : Argentina, Egypt, Finland, Jamaica

GROUP B : Brazil, Canada, Germany, Iraq
GROUP C : China PR, Chile, USA, Ukraine
GROUP D : Angola, Australia, Czech Republic, Japan
GROUP E : Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Netherlands
GROUP F : France, Ghana, Paraguay, Iran

UNCAF CHAMPIONS CUP SCHEDULE CHANGED

With the changes in the UNCAF Copa de
Naciones calendar, the first stage of Central
American Zone preliminary round competition in the 2001 FC Champions Cup has also
been moved forward.
The first round quadrangulars in the
Central American Zone of the FC Champions
Cup will now be played in mid-August, one
group playing in Guatemala on 15, 17 and 19
August, the second in Honduras on 22, 24 and
26 August. The top two in each group advance
to the UNCAF final round, set for midSeptember in Costa Rica, the top three in that
tournament moving to the quarterfinal stage
of the 2001 Champions Cup.
FC CHAMPIONS CUP - CENTRAL AMERICAN ZONE FIRST ROUND
15, 17, 19.08.2001, Cd. Guatemala:
CSD Comunicaciones (Guatemala), CD Saprissa (Costa Rica), CD
Motagua (Honduras) and Tauro FC (Panama)
22, 24, 26.08.2001, Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
CD Olimpia (Honduras), LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica), CSD Municipal
(Guatemala) and CD Plaza Amador (Panama).
FINAL ROUND: 11-16.09.2001, Costa Rica

WUSA TAKES OFF WITH A BANG

The Womens United Soccer
Association got off to a thrilling
start in Washington, D.C., the
home team using a penalty kick
to claim a 1:0 victory against the
Bay Area CyberRays on 14 April.
But more noteworthy were
the 34,148 fans attending the
match at RFK Stadium. Soccer
moms and dads dominated the
crowd with screaming kids by
the thousands. The walk-up
crowd was so large, the ticket
booths were overwhelmed.
Hearing the crowd during
the game, before the game and
after the game was incredible,
said the Freedoms U.S. interna tional Mia Hamm. Sometimes
you get caught up in the game
and you lose touch with whats
going on around you. They were
thanking us for being part of history. No, were thanking them.

CONFEDERATION NEWS - MAY 2001

U 17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
(continued from Page 1)

Warner addressed the audience, along with

Oliver Camps, President of the Trinidad &
Tobago Football Federation, the
Honourable Orville London,
Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of
Assembly, and the Honourable Mansour
Ramsaran, the Minister of Community
Empowerment, Sport and Consumer
Affairs for T&T.
It was primarily through the assistance
from Hon. Ramsaran that four new stadia
were built in the country for the event Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, Ato
Boldon Stadium in Couva, Manny
Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, and
Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.
In addition, the Hasely Crawford Stadium
underwent a spectacular renovation making it one of the finest football facilities in
the world.
"All those who have worked for the
good of our game and of our people in the
past must be remembered as we approach
the draw and then the tournament itself,"

PAGE 3
Warner said. "And all of us must realise
how important it will be to all those generations to come."
Before long, many in the audience were
sitting on tenterhooks, wondering who the
draw will put in their path for the claim of
world champions.
As is traditionally the case, Michel ZenRuffinen, FIFA General Secretary, presided
over the draw, which had the 16 countries
divided into 4 groups.
Aiding him with the pulling of the balls
from the pots were some of the greatest
athletes from T&T: decathlete Hasely
Crawford, national team footballer Reynold
Carrington, women's national team member Leslie Ann James, netballer Lystra
Lewis, as well as cricketer Brian Lara, considered by some the greatest batsman in
the world. Also assisting on the dais: FIFA
referee Noel Bynoe, the captain of the
Trinidad & Tobago U-17 national team, and
Giselle LaRonde-West, a former Miss
World.

USA LENGTHENS ITS LEAD IN FIFA

2002 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
The USA stretched their lead with their third
victory in three matches, while the rest of the
bunch tightened in the third matchday of the
Final Round of FC qualifying for the 2002
FIFA World Cup.
The USA extended their lead to five points
with a 1:0 victory against Costa Rica, with the
other five countries all grouped within three
points after a pair of draws in the other matches
on 25 April. Honduras scored a late equalizer to gain a 1:1 draw
with Jamaica in Kingston, while Trinidad & Tobago played a
man down for some 40 minutes, but still managed a 1:1 draw
with Mexico.
That left Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica all level on four
points, but also kept Honduras (two points) and Trinidad &
Tobago (one point) in the hunt for the FCs three berths in the
World Cup finals.
The next matches in the Final Round are nearly two months off,
but return with a vengeance, with three matches to be played over a
two-week period in the final half of June and beginning of July.
USA 1:0 COSTA RICA
The lone goal came midway through the second half from a
corner when Jeff Agoos sent the ball into the Costa Rica penalty
area. It was headed on by Clint Mathis to Wolff, who easily slotted
home from three metres for his third international goal. But, just as
always seems to happen in matches between the two countries, the
goal had its share of controversy, Costa Rica defenders claiming
Mathis played the ball with his hand as he headed down toward
goal while fighting off marker Reynaldo Parks.

U17 DRAW: T&T IN TOUGH GROUP

Host Trinidad & Tobago found themselves with

a desperately difficult group for the 2001 FIFA U-17
World Championship. Placed in Group A, Trinidad
& Tobago open the championship against Croatia
in Port-of-Spain on 13 September. But following
come current South American and defending world
champions Brazil, then Australia, runners-up in
New Zealand in 1999.
In Group B, the United States are back for
their record ninth consecutive FIFA Under-17 World
Championship. Playing in Bacolet, Tobago, the
USA will face European finalists France, African
champions Nigeria and Japan.
The FCs third representative, Costa Rica, will
compete in Group D in Malabar, along with Mali,
Paraguay and Iran. Group C, in Couva and
Marabella, matches European champions Spain
with Asian champions Oman, Argentina and
Burkina Faso.
GROUP A (Port-of-Spain):
Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil, Australia, Croatia
GROUP B (Bacolet):
USA, France, Nigeria, Japan
GROUP C (Couva, Marabella):
Spain, Oman, Argentina, Burkina Faso
GROUP D (Malabar):
Costa Rica, Mali, Paraguay, Iran

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 1:1 MEXICO

Trinidad and Tobago took their first point of the final round at
the Queens Park Oval. Marvin Andrews sent the partisan home
crowd into a frenzy when he leapt above Mexicos goalkeeper
Oswaldo Sanchez to head home an Angus Eve corner kick. But the
Soca Warriors were reduced to 10 men in the 34th minute when
Eve was sent off, Mexican midfielder Pavel Pardo bringing the
guests on level terms in the 60th minute with a tremendous rightfooted blast from the edge of the area.
JAMAICA 1:1 HONDURAS
Jamaica squandered some glorious first-half chances, yet the
draw still stretched their unbeaten streak at the National Stadium,
dubbed The Office, to 45 matches in full internationals. The
Reggae Boyz took the lead early in the second half, when a corner
from Ricardo Gardner curled between two Hondurans at the near
post and beat goalkeeper Noel Valladares. Jamaica keeper
Donovan Ricketts later saved a penalty kick, but Honduras still
equalized in the 78th minute when Jorge Samuel Caballero earned
a free header inside the Jamaica box and nodded past Ricketts.
FC FINAL ROUND QUALIFYING - 2002 FIFA WORLD CUP MATCHDAY THREE
Port-of-Spain, Queens Park Oval
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - MEXICO 1:1 (1:0)
M. ANDREWS 14 (TRI) - P. PARDO 61 (MEX)
R: Saad Kameel MANE (KUW)
BOOKED: A. ROUGIER (TRI); R MARQUEZ (MEX)
SENT OFF: A. EVE 32 (TRI) - MARQUEZ 74 (MEX)
Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium
USA - COSTA RICA 1:0 (0:0)
Josh WOLFF 69 (USA)
R: Jorge Luis LARRIONDA (URU)
Kingston, National Stadium
JAMAICA - HONDURAS 1:1 (0:0)
GARDNER 56 - Jorge Samuel CABALLERO 78
R: Carlos Eugenio SIMON (BRA)

UNCAF NATIONS CUP

SCHEDULE MOVED UP

The dates for the UNCAF Copa de Naciones

have been moved forward to 23 May - 3 June,
two weeks ahead of the previous schedule.
The top two teams from the tournament are
guaranteed spots in the 2002 Gold Cup, the
FC's continental championship.

2001 UNCAF COPA DE NACIONES

GROUP A: HONDURAS, PANAMA, NICARAGUA, EL SALVADOR
GROUP B: COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, BELIZE
23.05.2001
EL SALVADOR - NICARAGUA (Puerto Cortes, Estadio Excelsior, 15:00)
COSTA RICA - BELIZE (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, 17:00)
HONDURAS - PANAMA (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, 19:00)
25.05.2001
GUATEMALA - BELIZE (La Ceiba, Estadio Nilmo Edwards, 15:00)
EL SALVADOR - PANAMA (Tegucigalpa, Estadio Nacional Tiburcio Carias, 17:00)
HONDURAS - NICARAGUA (Tegucigalpa, Estadio Nacional Tiburcio Carias, 19:00)
27.05.2001
PANAMA - NICARAGUA (Puerto Cortes, Estadio Excelsior, 12:00)
COSTA RICA - GUATEMALA (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, 16:00)
HONDURAS - EL SALVADOR (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, 18:00)
30.05.2001
WINNER GROUP A - WINNER GROUP B (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico, 17:00)
RUNNER-UP GROUP A - RUNNER-UP GROUP B (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico, 19:00)
01.06.2001
WINNER GROUP A - RUNNER-UP GROUP A (Tegucigalpa, Estadio Nacional)
WINNER GROUP B - RUNNER-UP GROUP B (Tegucigalpa, Estadio Nacional)
03.06.2001
WINNER GROUP A - RUNNER-UP GROUP B (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico)
WINNER GROUP B - RUNNER-UP GROUP A (San Pedro Sula, Estadio Olimpico)

COPA CARIBE GROUPS SET

The groups for the finals of Copa Caribe

have been set, to be played 16-25 in Trinidad &
Tobago. Group A will consist of Trinidad &
Tobago, Jamaica, Martinique and Barbados,
which reached the finals as the best secondplace finisher in the five qualifying groups.
Group B will contain Cuba, Haiti, Suriname and St. Kitts & Nevis.
Each group will play three matches in a round-robin league
system, the top two advancing to crossover semifinals on 23 May.
The winners will play for the Caribbean championship having also
assured spots in the Gold Cup finals to be held early next year.
GROUP A:
15.05.2001, Malabar, Larry Gomes Stadium
MARTINIQUE BARBADOS (17:00); TRINIDAD & TOBAGO JAMAICA (19:15)
17.05.2001, Tunapuna, Dr. Joo Havelange Centre of Excellence
JAMAICA MARTINIQUE (17:00); TRINIDAD & TOBAGO BARBADOS (19:15)
19.05.2001, Port-of-Spain, Hasely Crawford Stadium
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO MARTINIQUE (17:00); BARBADOS - JAMAICA (19:15)
GROUP B:
16.05.2001, Port-of-Spain, Hasely Crawford Stadium
HAITI ST. KITTS & NEVIS (17:00); CUBA SURINAME (19:15)
18.05.2001, Tunapuna, Dr. Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence
SURINAME HAITI (17:00); ST. KITTS & NEVIS CUBA (19:15)
20.05.2001, Malabar, Larry Gomes Stadium
SURINAME ST. KITTS & NEVIS (17:00); CUBA HAITI (19:15)
SEMIFINALS 22.05.2001, Port-of-Spain, Hasely Crawford Stadium
WINNER GROUP B RUNNER-UP GROUP A (17:00)
WINNER GROUP A RUNNER-UP GROUP B (19:15)
THIRD PLACE MATCH 24.05.2001, Malabar, Larry Gomes Stadium
LOSER FIRST SEMIFINAL LOSER SECOND SEMIFINAL (17:00)
FINAL 25.05.2001, Port-of-Spain, Hasely Crawford Stadium
WINNER FIRST SEMIFINAL WINNER SECOND SEMIFINAL (19:00)