Under-16s have to work harder

The Young Warriors were carded to go through to the quarter-finals of the current Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-16 Youth Cup where they would have faced the best second placed team Suriname.

However, the home team will now contest a four-team group comprising of the remaining four Caribbean participants (with the exception of Jamaica) to battle for two places in the CONCACAF final round.

Caribbean Football Union President Jack Warner explained late on Saturday that the decision was based on the advice of Senior Vice President, Lisle Austin, and with the approval of the Emergency Committee of the CFU.

Warner said it was agreed that there be a revision of the competition format of the Youth Cup for the determination of the two Caribbean teams who shall qualify for the CONCACAF final round of the competition for the FIFA World Under-17 Championship.

Since there are five Caribbean teams remaining in the competition— Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and best second placed Suriname — the four Caribbean teams excluding Jamaica) will be placed in one group — Group “A” — and participate in a Group League play-off.

From that play-off, the first and second placed teams will subsequently qualify for the CONCACAF final round of the competition.

Jamaica, being the host of one leg of that competition, will be placed in a group with the other three non-Caribbean Group winners — Canada, Panama and Mexico shall comprise Group “B” and will play in a similar format as Group “A.”

The first placed teams of Group “A” and “B“ will play for the Caribbean Youth Championship while the second-placed teams will bid for the third and fourth places.