PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Jamaica Football Federation president, Michael Ricketts, is relaxed about possible changes to the “hexagonal” qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, and says he will adopt a “wait and see” approach to planned deliberations within continental governing body, CONCACAF.
While conceding he had “no idea” what changes would be implemented in coming months, Ricketts said he believed because of the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the format may have to be adjusted in order accommodate the condensed schedule.
Last week, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said in an interview that the structure of the confederation’s hexagonal round would likely have to be altered, though he did not go into detail.
The ‘Hex’ is a qualifying round featuring the six top-ranked sides in CONCACAF playing in a round-robin, home-and-away format where the top three teams qualify directly for the finals, and the fourth-place team enters a playoff for the final spot.
Ricketts said he understood that a task force would first be set up to look at the ‘hex’ set to get underway in August.
“Having been pressed for time now [because of the halt in football], a new process would be in place,” Ricketts told CNC3 TV.
“Which from my own interpretation would mean that the same teams would be in the hexagonal round but how these six teams would play and how many times they would play, that’s where the changes could very well be.
“So I still think that the six teams presently in the hex will remain the same six. Normally, these six teams would play each other twice on a home-and-away basis. For example, Jamaica would five home games and five away games which certainly would spread over maybe a six, seven or eight-month period.
“Now I think the proposal would be that there will be a different format. I have no idea what this new format will be but from my own perspective, it will be the same teams in the hex but getting to Qatar 2022, the format will be a little different.”
Football, like most of world sport, has been brought to a grinding halt by the outbreak of COVID-19 which has already caused 4.1 million infections and 281 00o deaths globally.
CONCACAF competitions have not been spared with the confederation already forced to postpone the Champions League, the Caribbean Club Championship, the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers and the Nations League finals.
Montagliani said last week that “on the balance of probabilities in terms of what has happened so far, and what likely will continue to happen, the current World Cup format will have to be changed, which means that ultimately the ‘Hex’ will have to be changed into some other form”.
He did say, however, the ‘Hex’ would be a “bigger competition” but could not elaborate on the structure until FIFA established new windows, once football was able to resume.
The Reggae Boyz are currently ranked fourth in CONCACAF, automatically qualifying them for the ‘Hex’, and Ricketts said he hoped any changes in format would not result in the home-and-away structure being affected.
“I really would’ve loved to have that original format where Jamaica, for example, would have five home games … the Mexicos, the Costa Ricas, the US playing in Jamaica and then of course that would be reversed and then you visit those countries,” the administrator said.
“I would be very supportive of that kind of format. Now I have no idea what the new proposals will be so I’m just prepared to wait and see.
“But being the leaders around the Caribbean we want to ensure that we help to motivate our Caribbean neighbours and to ensure that when Jamaica make a positive step, our neighbours also make positive steps.”
