With the threat of the coronavirus (CoViD-19) epidemic rising, CONCACAF, the football governing body for the Caribbean, Central and North America, has officially cancelled the 2020 Women’s U17 Championship and 2020 Futsal tournament.
This was disclosed by a release from the entity. “The health and wellbeing of all individuals participating in CONCACAF competitions is our first priority and that is why we last week made the decision to suspend a number of our upcoming competitions and matches. Following further consultation with key stakeholders, we have made the decision to suspend two additional CONCACAF national team tournaments. Both competitions require significant international travel for a number of our Member Associations and their teams and we have made this decision with their welfare in mind.”
The news will certainly disappoint the Lady Jaguars and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), who were scheduled to participate in the U17 tournament initially programmed for April 18th-May 3rd in Toluca, Mexico.
Guyana qualified for the knockout round of the youth championship, after emerging as the victor of group-D in the qualifying section, which was staged in Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad in Curaçao from August 21st-25th 2019.
The Lady Jaguars secured an unbeaten record following wins over Curacao (2-1), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (6-2) and Bahamas (3-1). They were set to face-off with the group-E winner in the round of 16 section.
Group-E comprise Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and Dominican Republic. Dates for the rescheduling of the tournament have yet to be announced. On the other hand, CONCACAF’s Futsal Championship was scheduled for May 1st-10th in Guatemala. Guyana did not enter the championship.
Meanwhile, the management staff following the directive of the GFF, has opted to suspend the Golden Jaguars training schedule for a period of two weeks.
This was revealed by a senior player who spoke on the condition of anonymity with Stabroek Sport. According to the individual, “The training sessions have been suspended for the period of two weeks. We were notified last week Thursday, after we received a message from the team manager that all training will be canceled and that we will be informed when it will resume.”
The GFF, following a mandate from CONCACAF, confirmed that the two legged affair which was scheduled for this month against their traditional Caribbean rival was suspended until further notice. The governing confederation suspended and cancelled several other competitions and events for period of 30 days effective of March 12th.
Among the other tournaments and events that have been suspended until further notice by CONCACAF are the Scotiabank Champions League, Men’s Olympic Qualifiers, the Caribbean Club Shield and the CONCACAF Congress. They have also instituted travel restrictions in several countries and have announced that alternative dates for the suspended matches from the aforesaid events will be discussed and announced.
The Golden Jaguars were scheduled match skills win the Barbadians in a home and away series on March 26th and 31st respectively. The first match was slated for the Land of the Flying Fish, with the National Track and Field Center, Leonora hosting the return leg.
Three other matchups in the March 2020 Qualifiers are also suspended due to the threat of the virus. They are Guadeloupe against St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas versus French Guiana and Guatemala against Montserrat.
