Jamaica Football Federation, Founded 1962, Affiliated to FIFA CONCACAF and CFU.
20 St. Lucia Crescent, Kingston 5, Jamaica, West Indies
Telephone: (876) 929 0484 / (876) 929 8036 / (876) 926 1182
Fax: (876) 929 0483 / (876) 960 2421
Email: jamff@hotmail.com
JA, T&T TO HOST GOLD CUP TORNEYS IN MARCH
Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago have been named as host countries for the second Round Qualifying Tournaments for the CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals to be staged in the USA between June and July 2003.
The Jamaican tournament will be held on March 26, 28 and 30 at the National Stadium which by then should have been hosting football for at least six weeks, following extensive resurfacing of the football field.
The National Stadium is scheduled to re-open to football on Wednesday, February 12 with a friendly international between the Reggae Boyz and the United States.
Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago will both host three teams with the winner of each group qualifying for the Gold Cup Finals. The second placed team from each group will play off in a home and away series, with the winner qualifying for the Gold Cup Finals.
The loser of the play-offs between the second placed teams will play-off against the fourth placed team from the Central America (UNCAF) Gold Cup Qualifying Competition, with the winner qualifying for the Gold Cup Finals.
Top overseas-based players from England and the USA will be invited for this very important qualifying tournament.
2003 FC CHAMPIONS CUP
FIRST CARIBBEAN QUALIFIER FOR FIRST ROUND OF 2003 CHAMPIONS CUP TO
BE DETERMINED THIS WEEK IN JAMAICA
The first Caribbean Zone team to qualify for the first round proper of the 2003 FC Champions Cup will be determined this week as Arnett Gardens FC of Jamaica play host to VSADC (Saint Lucia) and Violette AC (Haiti) in the Group A zonal tournament.
The winner of the round-robin advances to the round of 16 of the 2003 FC Champions Cup, set to begin in the early part of next year.
Club Franciscain of Martinique, scheduled to be the fourth team in the group, withdrew after advancing to the seventh round of the Coupe de France.
Arnett Gardens enters the group as the favorite. The two-time defending champion of Jamaica's National Premier League, the Kingston-based club won the first round championship (of three) this season. Violette AC, the doyen of Haitian clubs (founded in 1918), finished seventh in the overall table in Haiti's Premiere Division for the just-completed 2002 campaign, after finishing as runner-up a year ago. VSADC (Vempers Sports, Athletic and Dramatic Club) won Saint Lucia's Premier League in 2001.
The second entrant to the round of 16 from the Caribbean Zone will be known a week later when Harbour View FC (Jamaica), US Robert (Martinique) and FICA (Haiti) all travel to Trinidad & Tobago to do battle with hosts W Connection FC in Group B.
The six finalists from the Central Zone have already been determined in a series of quadrangulars played earlier this fall. Two teams from Guatemala, CSD Comunicaciones and CSD Municipal; lead the way, joined by LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica), Deportivo Arabe Unido (Panama), CD Motagua (Honduras) and CD F.A.S (El Salvador).
The four U.S. representatives in the final round are all from Major League Soccer: Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS Cup champion), New England Revolution (MLS Cup runner-up), San Jose Earthquakes (Supporters Shield winner) and Columbus Crew (U.S. Open Cup champion).
The field will be rounded out with four Mexican representatives, following the completion of the Torneo Apertura liguilla (playoffs) in the Primera Division. There will be a new champion crowned next year ; Pachuca CF, which won the 2002 FC Champions Cup with a 1:0 victory against CA Monarcas Morelia, did not qualify for the playoffs for the second half-season running.
(Editors note: Arnett Gardens took a big step towards qualification when they beat VSADC 5-0 in the first game on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Results in next week's newsletter.)
FC UNDER-17 JUNIOR TOURNAMENT
JAMAICA LOOK FOR FC TOURNEY BERTH; BERMUDA, CUBA HOPE TO OPEN LEAD IN SERIES
Jamaica, 4:0 winners over the Dominican Republic in the first leg of their Caribbean Zone qualifying series to the FC Under-17 Final Junior Tournament on 24 November in Kingston, will be looking to wrap up the series in the second leg, to be played Sunday 8 December, in Santo Domingo.
A victory in the series would give the young Reggae Boyz a berth in Group A of the FC final tournament scheduled for Guatemala from 3-9 March 2003, along with the USA, the winner of Central Zone Group A and the host nation.
On Sunday 8 December, Cuba travel to Bermuda to begin the series that will determine the second Caribbean representative to the FC final tournament. The return leg is scheduled for 15 December in La Habana.
The winner of the Bermuda-Cuba series plus the winner of Central Zone Group B will play in the final tournament set for Canada from 26-30 March 2003, where they will be joined by Mexico.
Group A in the Central Zone kicks off on 10 December in Siguatepeque, Honduras, featuring El Salvador, Nicaragua and the host country. Group B, slated to begin on 14 December in Arco Iris, Panama, will be a round-robin tournament between the hosts, Belize and Costa Rica.
HAYLES OUT FOR SEASON
(Soccernet, Friday, December 06, 2002)
Fulham striker Barry Hayles has been ruled out of the rest of the season with a neck injury. The injury is more serious than first thought and he is to have surgery next week.
The Jamaican international has been out of action since Fulham's 3-1 Worthington Cup win over Bury on 6 November.
'After the Bury game, I sat down and literally couldn't move my head. At that point I realised it was something more than just a strain.'
Initially it was thought that rest would solve the problem, but scans have revealed the severity of the injury.
Tests showed a degenerative problem with the discs in Hayles' neck which are putting pressure on his spinal cord.
The striker is devastated at having to miss the rest of the season but specialists have said it is in the best interests of his long-term health.
'It's very upsetting to be in this situation,' said Hayles. The surgeon said I'd probably be out for between three to six months.
Realistically I'm looking at making a return next season.
'It was very dangerous for me to be playing with the injury.'
Fulham physiotherapist Jason Palmer reiterated the seriousness of the injury ad the concern for Hayles' health.
'Obviously with any neck-related problems we have to take into account Barry's short and long term future, both in football and outside of it.'
FULLER OUT FOR SEASON TOO!
Preston have suffered a massive blow with the news Ricardo Fuller has been ruled out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage.
The 23-year-old Jamaica international, who has scored 11 goals in his first season in English football, suffered the injury in last week's win at Coventry.
Scans did not reveal the problem but after undergoing exploratory surgery, Fuller has been ruled out of the Division One campaign.
Manager Craig Brown said: 'I've been to see Ricardo and he is really down at the moment, but I told him that there are plenty of players who have come back from this including Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alan Shearer, Robert Pires recently and his old boss at Hearts, Craig Levein.
EARL BAILEY
PRESS OFFICER JFF
Mobile: 876-351 2656
PATRON: The Governor General
OFFICERS: Captain Horace G. Burrell, CD, JP, OMFIFA, President; Raymond Anderson, 1st Deputy
President, Lincoln Sutherland, 2nd Deputy President; E. David Watt 3rd Deputy President;
Peter Reid, Treasurer; Linnel McLean, Executive Officer; Horace D. Reid, General Secretary.
Jamaica Football Federation