TT footballers start Road To Athens

TRINIDAD and Tobago will begin kicking their way towards next year’s Olympics in Athens against Grenada on November 15.

This first leg, second round match will be at the Grenada National Stadium. Referee for the match which will kick off at 7 pm is Rodolfo Sibrian. The second leg game is scheduled for November 19 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, when Jose Pineda of Honduras will be the referee.  Kick off time is 5 pm. But second round of the 2004 CONCACAF Men’s Under-23 Olympic Qualification begins tonight when Panama take on St Lucia in Ciudad de Panama. St Lucia have consented to play both games in Panama at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Ciudad de Panama tonight and Tuesday.

The first game, which will kickoff at 8 pm, will have officials from Barbados, referee Mark Forde and referee assistants Winston Goodridge, Mark Moses along with fourth official Royon Small, while the second encounter on Wednesday begins at 8.30 pm and has Canadian officials in  referee Mauricio Navarro, referee assistants Keith Reid and Neil Schofield and fourth official Hu Liu. The remaining second round encounters will start on November 15-16  (first-leg) and conclude on November 19-23 (second-leg). Two Trinidad and Tobago referees will be in charge of games, Richard Piper and Jaggernath Goolcharan. Piper will referee the first leg game between Haiti and Honduras in Haiti, while Goolcharan takes charge of the game between Jamaica and Guatemala in Kingston. The seven top teams at the end of  the second round will join hosts Mexico in the final round of CONCACAF qualification from February 2-12 next year with two places at stake for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

CONCACAF Olympic qualifying second round fixtures:
November 15 - Group A - EL SALVADOR vs CANADA, at Estadio Cuscutlan,
San Salvador, El Salvador. Referee Peter Prendergast (Jamaica)
November 19 - CANADA vs EL SALVADOR, at Apple Bowl Stadium, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Referee Brian Hall (USA).
Group B - November 15 - HAITI vs HONDURAS, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Referee Richard Piper (Trinidad & Tobago).
November 19 - HONDURAS vs HAITI, at Estadio Morazan, San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Referee German Arredondo (Mexico).
Group C - Tonight - ST LUCIA vs PANAMA, at Estadio Rommel Fernandez,
Ciudad de Panama, Panama.  Referee Mark Forde (Barbados).
Wednesday - PANAMA vs ST LUCIA, at  Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Ciudad de Panama, Panama. Referee Mauricio Navarro (Canada).
Group D - November 15 - ST KITTS/NEVIS vs USA - at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.  Referee Carlos Batres (Guatemala).
November 19 - USA vs ST. KITTS/NEVIS, at Maryland Sports Complex, Germantown, Maryland USA. Referee; William Mattus (Costa Rica).
Group E - November 15 - GRENADA vs TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, at Grenada National Stadium, St. George’s, Grenada. Referee Rodolfo Sibrian (SLV).
November 19 - TRINIDAD & TOBAGO vs GRENADA, at Hasley Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Referee Jose Pineda (Honduras).
Group F - November 16 - JAMAICA vs GUATEMALA, at  Tony Spaulding Sports Complex,  Kingston, Jamaica.  Referee Jaggernath Goolcharan (Trinidad & Tobago).
November 19 - GUATEMALA vs JAMAICA, at Estadio Mario Camposeco,
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala;. Referee Kevin Stott (USA).
Group G - November 15 - COSTA RICA vs GUYANA, at Estadio Fello Meza, Cartago, Costa Rica.  Referee Mike Seifert (Canada).
November 23 - GUYANA vs COSTA RICA, at Blairmont Community Centre Ground, Berbice, GUYANA.  Referee Alexander Williams (St Lucia).