Eve, players contented by Gold Cup qualification, ready to compete.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).Feelings of contentment and achievement have consumed coach Angus Eve, his players, and his staff, following the announcement that the T&T Football Association's (TTFA) protest to FIFA against the Nicaraguan Football Federation's team use of an ineligible player Richard Rodriguez in the Concacaf Nations League, was upheld.
The disciplinary committee of football's world governing body, FIFA, issued a release on Monday night signed by general secretary Philippe Moggio, acknowledging its decision to sanction the Nicaraguan Football Federation and award T&T the top spot in Group C of League 'B'.
The release stated: "Today, the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol (FENIFUT) for severe violation of the applicable FIFA/Concacaf regulations by fielding an ineligible player in multiple matches of Concacaf competitions. Because of this serious violation, the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee decided to exclude the Nicaragua national team from competing in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and has also relegated it to League B of the 2023/24 CNL."
The release continued: "As a consequence of the decision of the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee, the Concacaf Council has made the following determinations regarding the impact of this decision on the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League. The T&T National team, which was the team with the best second (overall) place finish of all League B teams in the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League Group Stage, replaces the Nicaragua National Team in position A3 of Group A of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. Additionally, the Antigua & Barbuda National Team, which was the team with the highest points (overall) in League B of the 2022/23 CNL to not have qualified for the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims qualifies to position A of Prelims Matchup #1 against Guadeloupe."
The T&T team lost to the Nicaraguans in June last year 2-1 in its opening match of the Nations League and then drew with them 1-1 in a key match on March 27, which awarded Nicaragua the top spot in the group.
According to Eve, who will name his 23-player squad Wednesday to contest for honours in the Gold Cup starting on Friday, said, "When we started the Nations League, the objective was to qualify for the Gold Cup proper and also to qualify for the 'A' Division of the nations league which would have given us automatic qualification for the Gold Cup and also give us the opportunity to qualify for the CONMEBOL Cup and put us in a better position in the World Cup qualifying."
He added: "It was a bit deflating when we drew that match in Tobago, and then to get the news now that we didn't do anything wrong. Credit to the FIFA normalisation committee, because Robert Hadad called us when we were having dinner and it was a good moment for everybody who put out so much energy with respect to having our country be on one of the top stages in football.
"It's a feeling of contentment and it just goes to show that when you do the right things and you go through the process, the right things will happen for you."
The T&T players were eagerly expected to take the field on Friday (June 16) in a Gold Cup qualifying clash with Guadeloupe. Instead, they will play their opening match on June 25. The Soca Warriors defeated Guatemala 1-0 in their friendly international match in Pennsylvania, USA on Sunday night.
Eve, a former national standout, said the prize for hard work is more hard work and for a second time, called on corporate T&T to join in this project which is designed for a country and not only his staff and the normalisation committee.
He said, "Now, we have to refocus our energies as the prize for hard work is more hard work because now we're in a group which is a very hard group, but that's where we want to be, that's where we were aspiring to be, so we just want to take this opportunity now to represent our country in the right way. Because this shows that once you do things in the right way, and do it with integrity and pride, and trust the process, this is where you can be.
"I said before corporate Trinidad has to come on board, we need help, it can't be just the national team staff and the FIFA normalisation committee alone. This is a project for a country, and now where we were only to play two days here, now our first game is on the 25th, and we're on the 12th, so that's 13 days away. We have to pay the hotel for 30-something-odd people, organise practice fields, there are also a lot of logistics to be done, a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. The hotel rooms are not cheap, so we have to actually since Concacaf sent the letter, have to put contingency plans in place," Eve explained.
WATCH Day 2 in Ft Lauderdale - Gold Cup Training CampWATCH Eve's Reactions to T&T's Gold Cup '23 InclusionRELATED NEWSEve relishes Gold Cup test, appeals for corporate help.
T&T Newsday Reports.HEAD Coach of the Trinidad and Tobago men's football team Angus Eve has expressed his delight and relief to have earned automatic qualification to this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup in the US.
T&T's advancement comes at the expense of Nicaragua, who were disqualified after a Concacaf investigation into the eligibility of one of the team’s players, Richard Rodriguez
Concacaf announced Nicaragua's Gold Cup expulsion on Monday, adding that they were also demoted to League B of the Concacaf Nations League.
Born in Uruguay, Rodriguez was not deemed to be a naturalised citizen by FIFA, yet the midfielder made 19 appearances for Nicaragua, which included several matches in the Concacaf Nations League.
He made a substitute appearance against T&T on June 3, 2022, a match that Nicaragua won 2-1 at home. The FIFA Normalisation Committee, which currently administers the TT Football Association (TTFA), discovered Nicaragua’s foul play and appealed to the region’s governing body.
Concacaf's Disciplinary Committee made the decision to axe the Central Americans "for severe violation to the applicable FIFA/Concacaf regulations by fielding an ineligible player in multiple matches of Concacaf competitions.”
T&T are now placed in Group A of the Gold Cup alongside Jamaica, USA, and one of Curaçao/St Kitts & Nevis/French Guiana/St Maarten who are to be determined by the prelims.
Antigua and Barbuda – the team with the highest points in League B of the 2022/23 Nations League not to advance – will now face Guadeloupe in Gold Cup qualification on Friday.
The Soca Warriors' promotion to League A of the Nations League keeps alive the opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Copa America, to be hosted by the US.
Eve expressed his joy in making it over the line. He said, “I don’t really have (much) words. When we started the Nations League, the objective was to qualify for the Gold Cup proper and also to qualify for League A (of the Nations League), which would have given us automatic qualification for the Gold Cup, the opportunity to qualify for the Conmebol (Copa) and be in a better position for World Cup qualifiers.
“It was a bit deflating when we drew the (last Nations League) match in Tobago. But to get the news that we didn’t do anything wrong… credit to the normalisation committee.”
He said Normalisation Committee chairman Robert Hadad informed the team while they were having dinner in Florida.
"It’s a feeling of contentment and this goes to show that, when you do the right things, the right things will happen for you.”
Noting the difficult challenge facing USA and Jamaica, Eve said the hard work that was put in by the team was rewarded with more hard work. He added that T&T relished the opportunity.
He also pleaded for the top local businesses to assist the team in their international ventures. “Corporate Trinidad has to come on board. We need help. It can’t just be the national team staff and the normalisation committee. This is a project for a country.”
He noted the logistical conundrum caused by the Concacaf disciplinary decision.
“We were only set to play two days here (in Fort Lauderdale), now our first game is on the 25th, which is 13 days away. So we have to pay hotel accommodation for 30-odd people, organise practice fields and there’s a lot of logistics to be done behind the scenes. Hotel rooms are not cheap. So we now have to put a contingency plan in place.
“We (also) don’t know if some of the clubs will want back their players back in the short term. (Nevertheless), the general feeling is one of great content and achievement for attaining something like this for our country.”
T&T will open their Gold Cup campaign on June 25 against the preliminary round winner – Curaçao, St Kitts & Nevis, French Guiana or St Maarten – at 3:30pm TT time. That would then be followed by a Caribbean derby against Jamaica on June 28 and the Warriors’ group stage run will be concluded against the US on July 2.
Nicaragua to appeal Gold Cup expulsion.
T&T Newsday Reports.THE Nicaraguan Football Federation (Fenifut) intends to appeal a decision by the Concacaf disciplinary committee to strip the Central Americans of their place in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and demote them to Concacaf League B.
Nicaragua were punished by the regional governing body for fielding an ineligible player, Uruguayan-born Richard Rodriguez, for eight matches, including a League B clash with Trinidad and Tobago on June 3, 2022 in Nicaragua. Rodriguez entered the match in the 86th minute as a substitute. The match ended 2-1 to the hosts and helped secure Nicaragua's top spot in the group, automatic qualification to the Gold Cup and promotion to League A.
However, Rodriguez's participation was deemed illegitimate as Concacaf stipulates players must reside in a country for at least five years before they can be deemed a naturalised citizen. Rodriguez has not satisfied Concacaf's requirement, which the organisation considered a "severe violation," in a statement on Monday night.
Rodriguez began playing in Nicaragua in 2018-2019 for Real Estelí FC, but his service there has been interrupted with stints in the Paraguayan league for Deportivo Santani (2019) and most recently in Costa Rica for Municipal Liberia (2022).
Nevertheless, the Nicaraguan federation insists it has done nothing wrong. According to a statement published by La Prensa newspaper on Monday, it said, "In recent days, Fenifut received a communication from Concacaf regarding the possible improper alignment of a Nicaraguan player. From that moment on, despite the fact that the time was very short for Fenifut to present its position on the case, the necessary evidence was sent to demonstrate that in said scenario none of the articles established have been violated. Concacaf FIFA Disciplinary Codes and Regulations."
The federation added, "Fenifut is immediately presenting the corresponding appeal, so we call on Concacaf so that, as established in the regulations, its committee of appeal meets immediately for the due review of the case."
