Caribbean rhythm closes CONCACAF’s first U15 tournament in style
By Paul Nicholson in Grand Cayman From Inside World Football
August 26 – “This is where it all starts. CONCACAF has a duty to develop its youth players and these are the seeds to expand the vision of youth development. How many opportunities do these young players get to play against the best of their own age group? Before this they had no opportunity,” said CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb as the final of the confederation’s U15 boys tournament came to a close in the Cayman Islands.
A total of 22 teams, the largest number of any CONCACAF competition, played out the inaugural tournament with Honduras beating Guatemala 2-1 in a final watched but about 2,500 spectators at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town.
“The tournament has been a huge success on a number of levels. The players, managers and coaches have all come up to me and thanked us for staging this. We have given these kids a better footballing chance. They are our future.
“For some of these guys it is their first time away from home, the first time they have had a passport, the first time they have been in an airplane, their first time in a hotel.”
The tournament also provided the backdrop for two other core pieces of CONCACAF development that has showcased a confederation forcing itself out of a dark place after the various corruption scandals that had plagued its image, and progression.
Under the watchful eye of Alfredo Whittaker, head of referee development for CONCACAF, the tournament was refereed by 40 officials drawn predominantly from across the Caribbean.
“We picked these referees because they are the ones we think will become FIFA referees and move up to take charge of FIFA’s international fixtures. From this tournament we will evaluate their performances, make judgements and send reports on to FIFA,” said Whittaker.
Amongst the 40 was a female referee from Canada. “We invited her because we thought she was good but was not getting enough games. Her evaluation scores over the tournament were the best and she is refereeing the final. This is what development is about and getting the opportunity to find and let the best people come through.”
In parallel CONCACAF held the second of its coaching D license courses, its first stage qualification for coaches.
“Not only are we preparing the kids on the field but we launched our coaching D license course. We have 40 coaches here from around the region, US, Canada and so forth, who are participating in the coaching qualification D license. Everything we do is geared on us improving and evolving and geared ultimately to better football on the field and ultimately winning the world championship,” said Webb.
The energy and enthusiasm generated in the Caymans has been infectious and Webb is naturally proud of how his home country has stepped up to support him. “Cayman has done a tremendous job as hosts of this event. There have been so many elements to make this successful.”
As a beaming Jamaican FA president Captain Horace Burrell said to this reporter at the closing party for the ambassadors – Cayman’s equivalent, and equals of London’s much feted gamesmakers – “One Life”. Not quite Marley lyrics but you get the point. Those still standing at the end of a remarkable two weeks of football, will reflect proudly on a job well done.
Many will be back in the Caymans in January for the CONCACAF U20 women’s tournament and again next summer for the inaugural U15s girls’ tournament.
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Phillips: Sport Ministry has been helpful
From Trinidad Express
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Sheldon Phillips described as “disappointing” the failure of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-15 football team to compete at the ongoing, inaugural CONCACAF Under-15 championships.
The team were unable to travel to Cayman Islands for the tournament as they were unable to book flights at the last minute, which forced them to pull out of the tournament.
Phillips told the Express yesterday that the Ministry of Sport has supported the TTFA on many occasions.
“Not on the budget and still getting support and being able to go to places like Estonia and Romania. Getting five matches in preparation for the Gold Cup. Our under-17 women, our under-20 women, and our senior women going on tour in the spread of a summer,” he said.
“Yes, we are very disappointed with what has happened with the boys under-15 team, but overall the Ministry of Sport has been very supportive of us.”
It is obvious the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is not biting the hand that has fed them several times in the past, and continues to feed them.
Only on Thursday, Minister of Sport Anil Roberts described the operations of some National Sporting Organisions (NSOs), including the TTFA, as incompetent. Roberts spoke specifically of the National under-15 football team issue, and presented documents to support his argument.
He specifically accused the TTFA and T&T Hockey Board (TTHB) of submitting very late requests for funding, and then blaming the Ministry for problems encountered.
“We cannot make (up) for the incompetence of officials in NSOs,” the Minister said at a press conference at his Abercromby Street office on Thursday.
Phillips’ response was diplomatic, rather than confrontation. “In spite of the comment (Roberts) made yesterday, I have to look at the entire picture and be sensible and sometimes philosophical,” the son of former national goalkeeper and ex-technical director of T&T football Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips said.
“The Ministry has been very supportive of us on the vast majority of our tours.
“So, as disappointing as the events surrounding the under-15 tournament are, I think people have to be fair and look at the total picture, and look at it with some perspective.”
Phillips admitted that much of the TTFA events for 2013 had not been budgeted for. Phillips could not explain why because it was before his May appointment.
He, however, explained that the under-15 tournament was not planned for since it was a new concept that CONCACAF had come up with.
“The tournament was officially announced in June, and the budget was sent in later on in the month, ” Phillips said. “The July 31st submission (which the Minister spoke of) was in regard to our services level package. That was the omnibus package for all of our teams for 2014. The budget specific to the Under-15 tournament would have been sent in later on in June.”
Phillips further added that he expected the TTFA’s plan to move away from heavy Government funding to bear some fruit by mid-October. He said that there were very promising meetings with several corporate entities, and that some help should be coming to the TTFA when their new budgets are presented later in the year.
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