PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s youth football teams could be forced to miss two major upcoming championships due to visa challenges and financial constraints, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) has disclosed.
The association said in a statement that after much deliberation, it is facing the possibility of taking “the very tough decision” of withdrawing from the upcoming CONCACAF Girls Under-15 Championship in Tampa, Florida which kicks off on July 31, and the Caribbean Football Union Boys Under-14 Challenge Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic next month.
“A number of factors have contributed to this decision, including challenges in securing the necessary travel visas to the United States along with financial constraints for air travel to the United States and the Dominican Republic,” the TTFA said.
“Tampa, Florida was confirmed as the venue for the Girls Under 15 Championship on June 6, 2022 and despite our best efforts to communicate with all relevant stakeholders, even prior to that date, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining US travel visa appointments for 20 players and staff, while being cognizant of the well-documented backlog of applications for US travel visa matters, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The association said it has also been engaging with the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago for assistance in obtaining the necessary funding for air travel to the two tournaments.
“We have acted in good faith and proceeded with the preparations for the respective tournaments through our High Performance Programme for the respective age groups over the past few months,” the TTFA stated, adding that it would continue to explore available options.
Over the past two years, several T&T teams have competed in various tournaments ranging from the Senior Men’s and Women’s World Cup qualifying campaigns, the Under-20 Men and Women, the Under-17 Women, the Beach Soccer Men and Futsal Men’s qualifiers.