MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – Caribbean Cup Finals organisers are set to re-examine the itinerary of the tournament, following complaints from players and officials of the rigorous schedule in the just concluded competition.
Eight teams played three group games each in the space of six days, with the group winners clashing the final on Tuesday night which was won by hosts Jamaica.
Caribbean Football Union president, Gordon Derrick said the dates for the tournament had been set in line with FIFA’s international break as it allowed the best players to participate in the tournament.
However, he admitted that the format had been hectic and said he had already asked for a revision.
“No one can argue that the quality of this tournament isn’t probably the best ever because every team had their best players, from the least among the apostles to the top you had good football being on display, so what we need to do now is look at it,” Derrick told the Jamaican Observer newspaper.
“We know how the international dates work, how are we going to refine it to make sure that we are not playing so many games, because I don’t care how fit you are or how good you are, you can’t be playing three or four games in seven to 10 days, it can’t happen.”
He added: “The next thing now is that I have ordered my technical committee to discuss it and come back with a proposal to the executive committee on how we can further tweak it for the next edition, where we can play in the international FIFA dates, but keep it down to maybe two games in the window, maybe home and away, etc.
“If I tell you that I have the solution, I would be lying. We know we have to look at it, the solution will come later, we will discuss it and see how we can improve on it, but we have to bear in mind that it is because of the limited international dates, we are playing a tournament, so a lot of factors that we have to look at, but trust me, we are going to take a serious look at it because I am extremely happy with it, this is the best Caribbean Cup.”
The tournament was a short one, kicking off on November 11 and featuring teams playing every two days. In the last Caribbean Cup finals staged in Antigua two years ago, the tournament ran for ten days and features semi-finals and a final, instead of a direct championship game.
Jamaica’s coach, German Winifried Schaefer, was one of the vocal critics of the format.
“The people who make this tournament they don’t have to run two days in the field, only the players, and without the players we can’t have a tournament,” he lamented.
“The players are important and it is not correct for the players. I think for the next tournament we have to change.”
