National club champions Fruta Conquerors’ non-participation in the Caribbean Club Shield was confirmed after the regional confederation Concacaf staged a new draw for their revamped 2021 Club Championship which will include teams from the Club Shield.
“Concacaf has conducted a new draw for the 2021 edition of the Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship (FCCCC). The reformatted competition now includes the participation of clubs set to participate in the 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield (Canceled due to the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic). The new one-off two round competition will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from May 15-25, and will feature a total of 15 clubs from 13 Concacaf Caribbean Member Associations,” a release from the body stated.
Following the conclusion of the draw, group-A comprises O&M FC (DOM), Flames United SC (SMA), Inter MoengoTapoe (SUR), Metropolitan (PUR), while group-B consists of Delfines del Este (DOM), SV Racing Club (ARU), Platinum FC (LCA), SV Real Rincon (BOE). Group C contains Don Bosco FC (HAI), AS Samaritaine (MTQ), AS Gosier (GLP), South East FC (DMA), whilst Cavaly AS (HAI), RKSV Scherpenheuvel (CUW) and Olympique de Cayenne (GUF) make up group-D.
Fruta Conquerors did not feature in the draw which confirms their non-participation in the prestigious tournament. Upon the conclusion of the group round, the respective group winners will progress to the semi-final stage which is scheduled for May 23rd. The final will transpire two days later.
“Provided they fulfill the Concacaf Regional Club Licensing criteria required to participate in Confederation wide competitions, the champion will qualify for the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will qualify for the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League”, the release divulged.
The initial Concacaf Club Shield was cancelled owing to the rising Covid-19 cases in Curacao. According to a correspondence signed by Carlos Fernández, Concacaf’s Director of Competitions, the governing confederation decided to cancel the prestigious championship following recommendations from the local authorities of the host nation owing to the rise in Covid-19 cases.
“On behalf of Concacaf, I hope this communication finds you well and in good health. Concacaf is constantly prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of all participating clubs in its competitions. After a rigorous analysis of the escalating COVID-19 cases in Curacao over the last couple of weeks, Concacaf, with the recommendation from Curacao local authorities and the Local Organizing Committee, has had to make the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield”, Fernandez said.
The 2021 Caribbean Club Shield which is in its fourth edition and is also known as the CFU Club Shield, is staged annually and features clubs from associations affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), a sub-confederation under the jurisdiction of CONCACAF. The Caribbean Club Shield, which is directly supervised and administered by CONCACAF, was introduced in 2018 for non-professional leagues that are striving towards professional standards.
