Boys, girls in football ‘net’

CARIBBEAN Football Union boss Jack Warner has announced the inauguration of a Boys Under-14 and Girls Under-17 tournaments beginning this year. He made the revelation at the year-end CFU Congress in Fort-de-France, Martinique, and Warner said both new tournaments will be played off biennially. Warner said at the end of this year’s innovative boys series, a 30-member squad will be selected for intensive training at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence at Macoya, following which an All Star team will be named to go on an overseas tour.

And Warner indicated that CONCACAF technical director, Trinidadian Richard Brathwaite along with Antiguan Chet Greene and Lionel Haven of Bahamas will be in charge of  both the boys and girls tournaments. Meanwhile, Capt Horace Burrell who was ousted from the presidency of the Jamaica Football Federation in November last year, has been elevated to the position of CFU representative on the CONCACAF executive committee. The ex-JFF president who is a senior vice-president of the CFU, will replace fellow Jamaican Anthony James, who announced he was stepping down after 12 years service to football in the Caribbean. And straightaway, Warner announced Capt Burrell will head a new marketing division of the CFU with effect from February 1. Current CONCACAF executive comprise Warner, president; Lisle Austin (Barbados) vice-president Caribbean Zone; Rafael Salguero (Guatemala) vice-president Central Zone; Alan Rothenberg (USA) vice-president North Zone. 

Other members are: Capt Burrell (Jamaica) Caribbean Zone; Sergio Torres (El Salvador) Central Zone; Hugo Kiese (Mexico) North Zone; Chuck Blazer (USA) general secretary; Oscar Thamar Torres (Guatemala) deputy secretary CONCACAF/UNCAF) and Harold Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago) deputy secretary CONCACAF/CFU). At the CFU congress, Warner was unreservedly reappointed to the FIFA executive committee to serve as a vice-president for another four-year term of office from this year to 2008.