Photo: Montego Bay United team photo
The annual CFU Club Championship began yesterday with last year’s beaten finalist directTV WConnection wetting the appetites of the fans with some fabulous football.
The CFU Club Championship is the annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs from the Caribbean islands for clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). The CFU Club Champions’ Cup serves as a qualifying event for the CONCACAF Champions League Tournament.
Central FC from Trinidad and Tobago are the current holders of the championship. They were crowned the 2015 champions of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship after defeating DirectTV WConnection 2-1 in the final played at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad & Tobago, while Montego Bay United was placed third by clipping Don Bosco FC 1-0 at this same venue. DirectTV WConnection has won this tournament a record 3 times.
The preliminary-round draw for the 2016 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship was announced on Thursday. The CFU revealed that 14 clubs from eight member associations entered the competition that will open with a preliminary round consisting of two four-team groups and two three-team groups.
The four group winners will advance to the final round, which will be contested at a single location April 29 – May 1, utilizing a semifinal, third-place match and final format.
The two finalists and third-place match winner will earn berths to the 2016/17 SCCL.
DirecTV W Connection (Trinidad & Tobago) is the only other team in the field to have qualified for the SCCL, participating on four previous occasions (2009/10, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2015/16).
2016 CARIBBEAN FOOTBALL UNION CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
Preliminary Round
GROUP 1 (Ato Boldon Stadium — Couva, Trinidad & Tobago)
Teams: DirecTV W Connection (host), CS Moulien (Guadeloupe), Inter Moengotapoe (Suriname), Atletico San Cristobal (Dominican Republic)
February 24, 2016: Inter Moengotapoe v CS Moulien
DirecTV W Connection v Atletico San Cristobal
February 26, 2016: Atletico San Cristobal v Inter Moengotapoe
DirecTV W Connection v CS Moulien
February 28, 2016: CS Moulien v Atletico San Cristobal
DirecTV W Connection v Inter Moengotapoe
GROUP 2 (Stade Sylvio Cator – Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Teams: Don Bosco FC (host), La Gauloise (Guadeloupe), Somerset Cricket Club (Bermuda)
February 24, 2016: Don Bosco FC v Somerset Cricket Club
February 26, 2016: La Gauloise v Somerset Cricket Club
February 28, 2016: Don Bosco FC v La Gauloise
GROUP 3 (Montego Bay Sports Complex – Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Teams: Montego Bay United (Jamaica), Central FC (Trinidad & Tobago), Scholars International (Cayman Islands)
February 24, 2016: Montego Bay United v Scholars International
February 26, 2016: Central FC v Scholars International
February 28, 2016: Montego Bay United v Central FC
GROUP 4 (Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Teams: Club Atletico Pantoja (host), Arnett Gardens (Jamaica), America FC (Haiti), SV Notch (Suriname)
March 2, 2016: Arnett Gardens v America FC; Club Atletico Pantoja v SV Notch
March 4, 2016: SV Notch v Arnett Gardens; Club Atletico Pantoja v America FC
March 6, 2016: America FC v SV Notch; Club Atletico Pantoja v Arnett Gardens
FINAL ROUND (venue to be determined)
SEMIFINALS
April 29, 2016: SF1 – Winner Group 1 v Winner Group 4; SF2 – Winner Group 2 v Winner Group 3
MATCH FOR THIRD PLACE
May 1, 2016: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
FINAL
May 1, 2016: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
Local football lovers can get a full course meal of football at the Montego Bay Sports Complex as the red hot Owayne ‘turtle-man’ Gordon and Montego Bay United battle their way to the top. Gordon scored the winner in the third place playoff in last year’s competition. Much is expected from him this year under the tutelage of former Reggae Boys and coach of Mobay United, Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis.
Departing the island this weekend to the Dominican Republic is Arnett Gardens FC the reigning Red Stripe Premier League champions. Coach Jerome ‘Jerry’ Waite is poised and thinks his team has the artillery in their arsenal to challenge for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships in order to move on to the CONCACAF stage.
Arnett Gardens are no stranger to this competition, having participated in the CONCACAF round twice, but have not passed the quarter-final stage. Based on their current performance in the local Red Stripe Premier League, they are playing like a well oiled engine and the fans are hopeful for great things.
Most of the players will want to use this as a spring board to break into the national team or to open doors for overseas contracts. Many believe that captain Oneil ‘Bigga’ Thompson has past his best but he continues to prove them wrong, one supporter described him as the Franz Beckenbaeur in the heart of their defence. Other players likely to make the trip are: Renae Lloyd, Marvin Morgan, Kemal Malcolm, Jason Moore, Vishinul Harris, Dicoy Williams, Ranike Anderson, Damion Hyatt, Peter Harrison, Keneil Hyde will be included. These games can be seen on Sportsmax live and delayed.
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