JFF welcomes Caribbean Cup return
Published:Thursday | February 20, 2020 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) general secretary Dalton Wint says that the federation would welcome the return of the Caribbean Cup after Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Randolf Harris said he is considering bringing back the competition.
In 2017, the Caribbean Cup competition was dissolved by Concacaf after a 28-year run and was replaced by the Nations League as the qualification tournament for the Gold Cup, the region’s top competition.
However, Harris is targeting non-FIFA dates to host the biennial competition.
Wint said that the JFF would not have an issue with a return of the tournament but said CFU should work out all the necessary logistics before presenting their proposal to the regional football bodies.
“It was a tournament we took part in, and at the time, we had no issue with it, and we wouldn’t have any issue with it coming back,” he said. “With the Nations League, it will assist the development in the region. The more we play, the better we will become. The more competitions we play, the better the opportunity for us to develop.
“We have not got any official communication yet, but I know, in due course, it will happen. It’s just for them to find a suitable [FIFA] window for it to be played. A summer tournament wouldn’t be too bad, but obviously, it will have to run outside the FIFA window. Logistics would have to be finalised before it is tabled for other nations to agree, and we would want greater financial support for the region and for the return of that competition.”
In 1989, the Caribbean Cup replaced the CFU Championship, which ran from 1978 to 1988. Trinidad and Toboago has the most regional titles. The Soca Warriors have 10 overall, consisting of eight Caribbean Cups and two CFU Championships. Jamaica are second with six titles. The Reggae Boyz were beaten 2-1 by Curacao in Martinique in the final of the last competition in 2017.