CONCACAF News Thread

[asylumseeker]

WATCH: Belizean players are traumatized and now the fate of the Haiti-Belize World Cup qualifier hangs in the balance. Belizean players refer to witnessing Haiti's reality as being an eye-opening educational experience.

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/NADbFLjuM44" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://youtube.com/v/NADbFLjuM44</a>

There should be no doubts now that this situation could have escalated.

[soccerman]

There should be no doubts now that this situation could have escalated.

Given what's going on currently, yes it could've took a turn for the worse.

[asylumseeker]

Fifa investigates after St Kitts appoint coach accused of sexual abuse
The Guardian (UK)
By Ed Romans and Romain Molina

Fifa will request more details about the appointment of a coach accused of sexually abusing and harassing female players in Barbados after it was suggested that he was given “positive recommendations” to take over as director of football in St Kitts and Nevis by the president of the Barbados Football Association.

Ahmed Mohamed, a former Somalia defender who has managed Barbados and the British Virgin Islands, was appointed by Atiba Harris – the president of the SKNFA – in September.

According to Harris, Mohamed stepped down as technical director of the BFA last year for “family reasons” and was chosen after Harris “reached out personally” to the BFA president, Randy Harris, who is the president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and a vice-president of Concacaf.

Mohamed left his post in Barbados in February 2021 after 27 players from the senior women’s team signed a letter at the start of that month urging the BFA to investigate claims made by one of their teammates.

It understood that she alleged the coach raped her at a hotel when she was 18 and that she previously received a series of unwelcome text messages from him. The player also claimed that she was threatened by senior members of the BFA after attempting to report her clams to the police. Another player alleged that Mohamed sexually abused her over a period of three years, starting when she was 13.

Last February some players also started an online petition demanding a “thorough investigation be carried out immediately”, after no immediate action was taken. “We didn’t put his name because we were afraid,” said one player who did not want to be named. “In our country, it’s hard for someone to claim that kind of thing, especially in sports.”

Mohamed left his post three weeks later, although his identity was not made public by the BFA after Randy Harris said he had been “legally advised not to”. Harris, re-elected unopposed as president of the CFU last year, refused to say whether Mohamed had resigned or been sacked.

“We have policies in place to make clear that we will not accept any form of misconduct or inappropriate behaviour,” he said in a statement. “We will always act in the best interests of our organisation and of football in Barbados.”

Randy Harris, asked whether he would like to comment about the claim he recommended Mohamed, replied: “No sir.” Neither Atiba Harris nor Mohamed responded to questions from the Guardian.

Dave Browne – the father of the St Kitts captain Phoenetia, who plays for the German second division club SC Sand – said during a phone-in show on Freedom FM last week that he was “deeply concerned” about the situation. “He has been accused of sexually abusing girls – we can’t take that lightly,” Browne said. “As a father of one of the players, I’m very concerned from all angles that the girls could be in danger. Atiba Harris needs to come and tell us why he has appointed him. He owes it to the nation.”

Harris appeared as a guest on Freedom FM on Monday to defend the appointment. “We did our due diligence regarding Mr Mohamed,” he said. “I reached out personally to the president of CFU [Randy Harris], who is also the vice-president of Concacaf, and also other officials within Concacaf and Fifa. We had positive feedback, positive recommendations and we decided to move forward. Those allegations that were made by the gentleman that called in – would the immigration in St Kitts and Nevis let somebody into the country, award them a work permit in such a high position, knowing that something like that was on their back? You tell me.”

Harris added: “[Mohamed] actually resigned for family reasons. Ahmed is a great guy, a great technical person who is going to do wonders for our country within football. I have every confidence in him.”

A spokesperson from Concacaf said: “At no point has anyone from the St Kitts and Nevis FA contacted the Concacaf administration to seek information regarding this individual, or any other prospective employee.”

A Fifa spokesperson said: “Given the seriousness of the allegations, Fifa will contact the relevant member associations to request more details about this matter. When it comes to misconduct and abuse in football, we wish to reiterate that Fifa takes any allegations reported to it very seriously.”

Atiba Harris, a former defender who retired last year, said that restructuring the SKNFA had been his priority since he was elected in August. “I came back here to St Kitts after finishing my career professionally to contribute back to football and society,” he said. “We selected a team around us and you know you’re going to have some good ones and not so good ones. Yes there are going to be some changes – some people are going to take it the wrong way but changes need to be made to move forward.”

In November Jeffrey “Pedro” Hazel’s contract as technical director of the SKNFA was terminated with immediate effect, along with those of three other senior officials. It is understood that Hazel, who guided two of the country’s women’s sides to the final stages of Concacaf qualifying for the first time last year and had a year left on his contract, has launched a legal action.

[asylumseeker]

Concacaf announces details for 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League presented by Qatar Airways

Concacaf has confirmed the details of the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League presented by Qatar Airways (CNL). The competition’s group stage matches, featuring the men’s national teams of all 41 Concacaf Member Associations is scheduled to take place during the FIFA Match Windows of June 2022 and March 2023. The Concacaf Nations League Finals presented by Qatar Airways (CNLF), between the four League A group winners, will be played in June 2023.

“The first edition of the Concacaf Nations League was a huge success, and this competition has already transformed men’s national team football in our region,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani.  “Where previously teams had limited opportunities to play and compete, the Nations League provides a consistent set of official matches for every Member Association in Concacaf. Players can look forward to regional rivalries, coaches can test themselves against the best in Concacaf and fans in all 41 nations can follow their teams with pride.”

“By including qualification to the Gold Cup, and promotion and relegation between editions, there is a competitive edge throughout this tournament. I can’t wait for the draw in April and the opening matches of the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League in June”, added Montagliani.

The official draw for the 2022/23 CNL, which will sub-divide Leagues A, B and C into groups, will take place on Monday, April 4, in Miami, FL. The made for tv live event will feature the participation of Concacaf President and FIFA Vice president, Victor Montagliani, as well as current and former coaches and players, and guests from the world of international football.

Concacaf launched the region’s men’s Nations League in March 2018, with the aim of ensuring all Member Associations have the opportunity to compete in more official matches, driving the development of the game and providing a compelling tournament for fans in all parts of the Confederation.

The group stage of the inaugural CNL kicked off in September 2019 and culminated after one-hundred-and-two memorable matches. The four League A winners, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and USA, all advanced to the 2021 CNLF in Denver, CO. After two high quality semifinals, Mexico and the United States faced off in an unforgettable Final. An extra time penalty conversion by US forward Christian Pulisic proved to be the decisive moment and served as the winning goal in the 3-2 victory for the United States, who were crowned as the first CNL champion.

2022/23 Concacaf Nations League Group Stage presented by Qatar Airways

The 2022/23 CNL group stage will continue to be played in a three League format (League A, League B and League C), with home and away round robin play on the FIFA Match Windows of June 2022 (double window) and March 2023.

The distribution of the teams for each league has been determined based on the results of the 2019 CNL group stage (available here), including a promotion and relegation system (bottom team in each group relegated and top team in each group promoted).

Based on the 2019 results, the 41 Concacaf Member Associations will be distributed in the three Leagues as follows (teams listed in alphabetical order per league):

League A (12 teams): Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador (promoted), Grenada (promoted), Honduras, Jamaica (promoted), Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Suriname (promoted) and United States.

League B (16 teams): Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas (promoted), Barbados (promoted), Belize, Bermuda (relegated), Cuba (relegated), Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe (promoted), Guatemala (promoted), Guyana, Haiti (relegated), Montserrat, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago (relegated).

League C (13 teams): Anguilla, Aruba (relegated), Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica (relegated), Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis (relegated), Saint Lucia (relegated), Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Additionally, the 2022/23 CNL group stage will continue to serve as the qualifier for the Concacaf Gold Cup. More details on the exact qualification process for the 2023 Gold Cup will be announced prior to the start of the 2022/23 CNL group stage.

2022/23 Concacaf Nations League presented by Qatar Airways Official Draw

The official draws for the 2022/23 CNL group stage will take place Monday, April 4, in Miami, FL. The three draws, one for each league, will all be done using a single-blind system involving three pots for League A, four pots for League B and three Pots for League C.

The 41 participating Concacaf Member Associations will be allocated in their respective League pots according to their Concacaf Ranking following the FIFA international match window of March 2022.

League A
Pot 1: 3 highest ranked teams and Concacaf’s representative in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Intercontinental Playoff
Pot 2: Next 4 ranked teams
Pot 3: Lowest 4 ranked teams

Note: The Concacaf representative that qualifies for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Intercontinental Playoff will automatically be allocated in Pot 1. This is to ensure they can participate in the Intercontinental Playoff which will take place in Doha, Qatar, during the second FIFA Match Window of June 2022.

League B
Pot 1: 4 highest ranked teams
Pot 2: Next 4 ranked teams
Pot 3: Next 4 ranked teams
Pot 4: Lowest 4 ranked teams

League C
Pot 1: 4 highest ranked teams
Pot 2: Next 4 ranked teams
Pot 3: Lowest 5 ranked teams

Each of the League’s draws will begin by randomly selecting a team from Pot 1 and placing them in Group A of their respective league. The draws will continue by selecting the remaining teams from Pot 1 and positioning them into Groups B, C and D in sequential order. The same procedure will be done for the remaining pots.

Fans will be able to follow the live event through the Confederation’s partner networks, including CBS/Paramount + (USA-Eng), Univision/TUDN (USA-Spa), OneSoccer (CAN), Televisa (MEX), regional partners in Central America and the Caribbean, and the Concacaf Official App (subject to territory restrictions). The free mobile app is available in the Apple and Google Play stores.

[asylumseeker]

Concacaf and St Kitts FA at loggerheads over coach accused of sexual abuse
The Guardian (UK)
By Ed Aarons and Romain Molina

Concacaf has expressed its “extreme surprise and concern” that the St Kitts and Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) has again claimed it consulted the continental governing body over the appointment of a coach accused of sexually abusing and harassing female players in Barbados.

Ahmed Mohamed was the subject of an investigation in Barbados after 27 players from the senior women’s team signed a letter at the start of that month urging the Barbados Football Association to investigate claims made by one of their teammates. It understood that the player alleged the coach raped her at a hotel when she was 18 and that she previously received a series of unwelcome text messages from him. Mohamed has not responded to questions from the Guardian.

Atiba Harris, the president of the SKNFA, has said Mohamed stepped down as technical director of the BFA last year for “family reasons” and was chosen as the new director of football after Harris “reached out personally” to the BFA president, Randy Harris, who is the president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and a vice-president of Concacaf and “also other officials within Concacaf and Fifa”.

However, a Concacaf spokesperson told the Guardian: “At no point has anyone from the St Kitts and Nevis FA contacted the Concacaf administration to seek information regarding this individual.” Fifa said it would be contacting the SKNFA to request more details.

Techell McLean, the general secretary of the SNKFA, sent a letter to its member clubs on Thursday reiterating it had “conducted a serious and fulsome due diligence exercise involving consultations with members of the Barbados Football Association, Concacaf and other persons who knew Mr Mohamed personally”.

“The SKNFA was and remains fully satisfied that Mr Mohamed is a good character – the allegations made against him being false,” he added. “And he has the requisite technical ability to perform his functions and take SKNFA football to higher levels.”

But in a letter that has been seen by the Guardian, Philippe Maggio, Concacaf’s general secretary, directly responded to McLean. “With extreme surprise and concern, we have noticed that the St Kitts Football Federation, through various mediums, has affirmed that Concacaf was consulted in relation to the hiring process of Mr Ahmed Mohamed as technical director of the SKNFA,” it reads.

“In this respect, we want to unequivocally reaffirm and stress as we have done in recent days that no one in the Concacaf administration was or has been consulted in relation to the engagement of Mr Mohamed with the SKNFA. Concacaf takes the allegations against Mr Mohamed extremely seriously and have duly noted that Fifa will look into the matter.”

It is understood that clubs in Barbados will discuss on Friday whether to call in an independent investigator, with several having privately expressed concerns over the BFA’s handling of the case and its leadership. Randy Harris, who was re-elected unopposed as president of the CFU last year, said he would look into the case on his return to Barbados.

“I don’t know of these things that I am hearing about pertaining to the BFA,” he told Barbados Today. “So, I would have to deal with it on my return and see if I could find out if any of these issues are true because they are very serious and no report has been made to the BFA about them.”

Asked last week whether he would like to comment about the claim he recommended Mohamed, Randy Harris replied: “No sir.”

Mohamed is understood to be in Anguilla with the St Kitts women’s team, who beat their hosts 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday.

[asylumseeker]

Apparently persons playing smart with chupidness and hiding behind the curtain of informal/"casual" query versus the unshielded window of official communication.

[maxg]

Any comments on our regional WC standings ? Are ppl impressed or  satisfied with our regional representatives and their play so far ?

i know it's mostly the usual culprits, I myself am quite impressed with the Canadians, performing without a key star, and the coach shining light on new ones. The charges currently being led by a older Can-Trini (38- definitely to old for a Trini team ), who managed to score the luckiest goal I ever see. Also, the Larin/David play can be very dangerous if they get to the big show.

Herdman already proven as a world class women's manager, is making a strong case for a top World Class men's manager. Most impressed with his selections, even if I myself think a couple were although decent, still seemed to be laborers, he somehow managed to make the unit gel.

After all, these are the Associations we have to overcome to even dream of going to the top International level. They seem to manage to do more things correct than wrong. Maybe we can stop trying to sabotage ourselves and stop from getting from point A to B with a square wheel.

[asylumseeker]

Metropolitan Football Academy won the Puerto Rican league after defeating Puerto Rico Sol, 5-0.