DECEMBER 2001

VOLUME 11 / NUMBER 8

CONFEDERATION OF NORTH, CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
18-22 December
Womens U-19 Qualifying
Caribbean Group A (Jamaica)
Jamaica, Bahamas, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago
8-12 January 2002
Womens U-19 Qualifying
Caribbean Group C (Haiti)
Haiti, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands
17-21 January 2002
Womens U-19 Qualifying
Caribbean Group B (Antigua & Barbuda)
Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname
18 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Miami)
Martinique Costa Rica (19:00); Haiti Canada (21:00)
19 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
El Salvador Mexico (13:00); USA Korea Republic (15:00)
20 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Miami)
Costa Rica Trinidad & Tobago (15:00); Ecuador Haiti (17:00)

Mexico defeated Honduras 3:0 on 11 November at Estadio Azteca to clinch the FCs third
and final berth in the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Mexico needed at least a draw to claim
the spot, and got three goals in 13 minutes in the second half from Cuauhtmoc Blanco (2) and
Juan Francisco Palencia (above left) to advance. (Photo Tony Quinn, SoccerPixUSA)

FC QUALIFIERS LEARN FIFA WORLD CUP OPPONENTS

Costa Rica and Mexico will face former world champions, while the
USA has to overcome a host country, as the three FC representatives
learned the composition of their groups at the Final Draw for the 2002
FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.
Costa Rica, which finished first in the six-team final round of FC qualifying, was drawn into Group C alongside Brazil, a top seed despite a troubled
qualifying campaign that came down to the final match. Also in the group:
Turkey, which got past Austria in a European playoff, and China - coached by Bora
Milutinovic, who guided Costa Rica in their only other World Cup appearance in 1990.
The USA will also play in Korea, drawn alongside the hosts in Group D. Ironically,
the USA will get to know Korea Republic quite well, playing them in a friendly on 9
December, then again in the first round of the 2002 FC Gold Cup next January. The
group is filled out with a pair of difficult European opponents, both group winners in
qualifying competition: Poland (Group 5) and Portugal (Group 2).
Mexico will play in Group G in Japan, and received a very tough draw. Top seed in
the group is Italy, winners of three World Cups and winner of Group 8 in Europe.
Another European group winner, Croatia, was drawn alongside, as well as Ecuador, in
the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time ever.
FIRST ROUND WORLD CUP SCHEDULES, FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION PARTICIPANTS

21 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
Cuba USA (15:00); Mexico Guatemala (21:00)
22 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Miami)
Canada Ecuador (19:00); Trinidad & Tobago Martinique
(21:00)
23 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
Guatemala El Salvador (19:00); Korea Republic Cuba (21:00)
26 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Miami)
Quarterfinal matches
27 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
Quarterfinal matches
30 January 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
Semifinal matches
2 February 2002
FC Gold Cup (Pasadena)
Final (12:00)
24 March 2002
2002 FC Champions Cup
First-round matches
(to be arranged by clubs)
19-21 April 2002
XXIII Ordinary Congress
The Football Confederation
Miami, Florida USA
5-12 May 2002
FC Womens U-19 Championship
Trinidad & Tobago

COSTA RICA
v China PR (04.06.02, Gwangju, 15:30)
v Turkey (09.06.02, Incheon, 18:00)
v Brazil (13.06.02, Suwon, 15:30)

MEXICO
v Croatia (03.06.02, Niigata, 15:30)
v Ecuador (09.06.02, Miyagi, 15:30)
v Italy (13.06.02, Oita, 20:30)

USA
v Portugal (05.06.02, Suwon, 18:00)
v Korea Republic (10.06.02, Daegu, 15:30)
v Poland (14.06.02, Daejeon, 20:30)

31 May 2002
Opening match, 2002 FIFA World Cup
Seoul, Korea Republic
Trinidad & Tobago

PAGE 2

CONFEDERATION NEWS - DECEMBER 2001

HIGH-PROFILE PAIRING HIGHLIGHTS

DRAW FOR 2002 FC CHAMPIONS CUP

A high-profile matchup between a pair

of the biggest names in the region highlighted the draw for the 2002 FC
Champions Cup, held Tuesday 4 December
at the offices of the General Secretariat in
New York City.
Mexico's Club America, winners of the
2001 FC Giants Cup and four-time winner
of the Champions Cup, were drawn against perennial Costa Rican
power Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, 1986 Champions Cup winner
and three-time runner-up (most recently 1999) in the glamour tie of
the round of 16.
Matches will be played over two legs, in a home-and-away format, and both legs must be completed by 24 March. Subsequent
pairings are set for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, with the
first-leg home teams still to be drawn. The quarterfinal matches
must be completed by 2 May, the semifinals by 8 August, and the
finals by 5 September.
In the draw, teams from the zone were not allowed to face each
other in the round of 16. As well, teams from the same country were
kept from playing each other for as long as possible.
The winner of the Amrica-LD Alajuelense matchup will face
the winner of the series between another pair of former champions,
CSD Comunicaciones of Guatemala (1978) and D.C. United of the
USA (1998). Two-time winner Defence Force FC of Trinidad &
Tobago will face the winner Mexico's Torneo Invierno 2001, while
CD Olimpia of Honduras, another two-time winner, will take on
current U.S. champion San Jose Earthquakes to round out the top
half of the draw.

CLUB COMPETITIONS
DOMINATE ACTION PACKED EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE MEETING

A number of key
decisions regarding
club competitions
across the Football
Confederation were
reached by the FC
Executive Committee
in their second meeting of the year, held
Monday 19
November at the offices of the General
Secretariat in New York City.
The meeting was honored by the attendance of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
The FC Executive Committee once again confirmed its support of the FIFA President and
his potential candidacy for re-election.
The major decision taken by the Executive
in a lengthy agenda was regarding the format
for the 2002 FC Champions Cup. Earlier this
year, the format of the tournament was
changed to a league system for the final 16
clubs in the competition, set to begin in
February 2002.
However, the Executive Committee, in
light of this World Cup year and the early
beginning of the finals, has decided to start

Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, Champions Cup winners in

1993 and 1995, will take on CA Monarcas Morelia of Mexico. They
will face the winner of the series between CSD Municipal of
Guatemala, winner in 1974, and Chicago Fire of the USA. The bottom half of the draw is completed with series matching Club Santos
Laguna of Mexico against Tauro FC of Panama, and W Connection
FC of Trinidad & Tobago taking on Kansas City Wizards FC of the USA.
2002 FC CHAMPIONS CUP DRAW
ROUND OF 16 (matches to be played by 24 March 2002)
Home team for first leg listed first
PAIRING 1: Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (CRC) v Club Amrica (MEX)
PAIRING 2: CSD Comunicaciones (GUA) v D.C. United (USA)
PAIRING 3: Defence Force FC (TRI) v winner Torneo Invierno 2001 (MEX)
PAIRING 4: CD Olimpia (HON) v San Jose Earthquakes (USA)
PAIRING 5: CA Monarcas Morelia (MEX) v Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
PAIRING 6: CSD Municipal (GUA) v Chicago Fire (USA)
PAIRING 7: Club Santos Laguna (MEX) v Tauro FC (PAN)
PAIRING 8: W Connection FC (TRI) v Kansas City Wizards (USA)
QUARTERFINALS (matches to be played by 2 May 2002)
Home teams for first legs still to be drawn
QF1: winner PAIRING 1 v winner PAIRING 2
QF2: winner PAIRING 3 v winner PAIRING 4
QF3: winner PAIRING 5 v winner PAIRING 6
QF4: winner PAIRING 7 v winner PAIRING 8
SEMIFINALS (matches to be played by 8 August 2002)
Home teams for first legs still to be drawn
SF1: winner QF1 v winner QF2
SF2: winner QF3 v winner QF4

this new format in a simpler mode which can

be finished within the time frames of the
domestic league schedules. Therefore, the
2002 FC Champions Cup will be played in a
straight knockout event, with teams playing
over a home-and-away system. Full details,
including the draw format and playing dates,
will be announced in due course.
Concurrently, the Football Confederation
and the Confederacin Sudamericana de
Ftbol (CONMEBOL) are working together
on an inter-American club competition which
would be played in the second half of each
year with teams from both confederations,
though much more work is to be done on that
possibility before it can become a reality.
In addition, the Executive Committee continued its consent for clubs from Mexico to
play in the Toyota Copa Libertadores under
the previous agreement, assuming the
Federacin Mexicana de Ftbol strikes an
accord with CONMEBOL and its member
associations. However, it was agreed that all
matches in the competition - including the socalled "Pre-Pre Libertadores" - must be
played within Mexico.
As well, the matter regarding sanctions
imposed upon CD Guadalajara of Mexico was
referred to the FC Disciplinary Committee,
with a report due back in 30 days. After failing to appear for their match against NY/NJ
MetroStars on 17 October in the Copa
Merconorte, CD Guadalajara was suspended

from all club competitions for two years in

CONMEBOL, fined US$20,000 and thrown
out of the competition itself. The Executive
Committee also took note of the fact CD
Guadalajara sent a reserve team to the 2001
FC Giants Cup, much of which was registered
with Club Nacional de Tijuana in the Primera
'A' (second) division.
In other business, financial assistance was
agreed for those countries participating in the
2002 FC Gold Cup to help defray the costs of
bringing back those players who play outside
the country. For any player playing outside
the Confederation, a country will be given an
additional US$5000, while for any players
playing in another FC country, they will
receive US$2500. The measure is intended to
ensure national associations are able to secure
the release of overseas players if desired and
allow every country to put as strong a team as
possible on the field for the Gold Cup.
The Executive Committee also confirmed
participation of men's Olympic-age level
teams in the 2003 Pan American Games, to
be played in Dominican Republic, together
with any Olympic-age level teams from South
America that wish to join.
Finally, the dates for the XXIII Ordinary
Congress of the Football Confederation were
set. The event will be held 19-21 April 2002 in
Miami Beach, Florida, with the Hall of Fame
Dinner on Saturday 20 April and Congress
the following day.

CONFEDERATION NEWS - DECEMBER 2001

PAGE 3

GROUPS SET, FIELD COMPLETED AND SCHEDULE

ANNOUNCED FOR 2002 FC GOLD CUP

Ecuador, who qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for the
first time in their history, has been invited to participate in the
2002 Football Confederation Gold Cup, rounding out the 12-team
field and the match schedule.
The tournament kicks off 18 January 2002 and will be played
in two venues in the USA, Pasadena, California (Rose Bowl) and
Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl). First-round matches and two quarterfinal matches will be played in each venue, with the semifinals
and final set for the Rose Bowl.
The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three teams each. The top two
teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage.
First, the teams were seeded into three tiers.
Pot A contained the Gold Cup holders, Canada, along with the FC's three qualifiers
for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals: Costa Rica, Mexico, and USA.
Pot B contained the winners of the FC qualifying competitions, Guatemala (UNCAF
Copa de Naciones) and Trinidad & Tobago (CFU Copa Caribe), along with the two guest
teams, South Korea and Ecuador.
Pot C contained the four qualifiers: El Salvador (second in Copa de Naciones),
Haiti and Martinique (second and third respectively in Copa Caribe), and Cuba (winner
UNCAF-CFU playoff).
The teams were then placed into groups taken into consideration competitive and
commercial concerns as well as previous editions of the Gold Cup.
Following are the groups, with Groups A and B playing in Pasadena, and Groups C and D
playing in Miami:
Group A - El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico
Group B - Cuba, Korea Republic, USA
Group C - Costa Rica, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago
Group D - Canada, Ecuador, Haiti
January 18
Friday
Miami
19:00
Martinique (C3) v Costa Rica (C1)
21:00
Haiti (D3) v Canada (D1)
January 19
Saturday
Pasadena
13:00
El Salvador (A3) v Mexico (A1)
15:00
USA (B1) v Korea Republic (B2)
January 20
Sunday
Miami
15:00
Costa Rica (C1) v Trinidad & Tobago (C2)
17:00
Ecuador (D2) v Haiti (D3)
January 21
Monday
Pasadena
15:00
Cuba (B3) v USA (B1)
17:00
Mexico (A1) v Guatemala (A2)
January 22
Tuesday
Miami
19:00
Trinidad & Tobago (C2) v Martinique (C3)
21:00
Canada (D1) v Ecuador (D2)
January 23
Wednesday
Pasadena
19:00
Guatemala (A2) v El Salvador (A3)
21:00
Korea Republic (B2) v Cuba (B3)
January 26
Saturday
Miami
15:00
Quarterfinal 1: Winner Group C vs Runner up Group D
17:30
Quarterfinal 2 Winner Group D vs Runner up Group C
January 27
Sunday
Pasadena
12:00
Quarterfinal 3 Winner Group A vs Runner up Group B
14:30
Quarterfinal 4 Winner Group B vs Runner up Group A
January 30
Wednesday
Pasadena
18:00
Semifinal 1 Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs Winner Quarterfinal 3
20:30
Semifinal 2 Winner Quarterfinal 2 vs Winner Quarterfinal 4
February 2
Saturday
Pasadena
10:00
Third Place Loser Semifinal 1 vs Loser Semifinal 2
12:00
Final Winner Semifinal 1 vs Winner Semifinal 2

STRATEGIC PLANNING
WORKSHOP, REFEREES
COURSE ACTIVITIES

The Football Confederation, in collaboration with the Football Association of

England, will stage a Strategic Planning
Workshop from 11 to 14 December 2001 at
the Dr Joo Havelange Centre of Excellence
in Macoya, Trinidad & Tobago.
The workshop is intended for National
Coaches (Senior or Youth teams), Directors of
Coaching, Technical Directors and/or Senior
Officials throughout the Confederation and
will deal with several high-level topics including: development of coaching policy, strategic
planning within international football, design
and implementation of coaching programmes
and evaluation of coaching performance.
It is the second major collaborative event
of the year between the Confederation and the
England FA, after a highly successful marketing workshop in June which attracted 56
administrators from 21 FC member countries.
In mid-October, 32 senior referees and
assistant referees from throughout the
Caribbean completed an intensivefour-day
course at the Centre of Excellence.
Directed by D.C. Emerson Mathurin of
Canada, a member of the FIFA panel of referees instructors, lecturers also included
Osmond Downer (Trinidad & Tobago), a
FIFA referee instructor; Keith Look-Loy
(Trinidad & Tobago), a FIFA GOAL
Development Officer; and Dr. Terrence
Babwah (Trinidad & Tobago), a FIFA coordinator for medical matters, for the course held
10-13 October.
Completing the course were:
ARUBAANSE VOETBAL BOND: Sharline Monique Ras
BERMUDA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Anthony Mouchette
BAHAMAS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Paul Messam, Varnette Laing
DOMINICA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Ibrahim Brohim, Martin
Charles, Daniel Leslie
FEDERACION DOMINICANA de FUTBOL: Robert Alcantara,
Watson Luis Cabrera
GRENADA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Valman Bedeau, Finbar
Charles, George Phillip, Wayne Phillip
GUYANA FOOTBALL FEDERATION: Carlton Beckles, Dianne
Ferreira James, John Callendar, Lawrence Griffith
FEDERATION HAITIENNE de FOOTBALL: Rosnick Grant
JAMAICA FOOTBALL FEDERATION: Dave Meikle, Rinaldo Francis,
Thobourne Rohan, Victor Stewart, Hughil Thompson, Clive Wright
ST. KITTS & NEVIS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: Troy Mills, Stedroy
Techeira, Stuart Rawlins
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO FOOTBALL FEDERATION: Lyndon Burton,
Noel Bynoe, Richard Piper, Cassie Moore, Michael Ragoonath

TICKET AVAILABILITY, OFFICIAL SPONSORS FOR 2002 FC GOLD CUP

Tickets for the 2002 FC Gold Cup go on sale Saturday 1
December in the venues where 12 national teams, including five
World Cup qualifiers, will vie for the championship of the FC.
The ticket sale is spearheaded by a major sales campaign by
Americatel 1010-123, the Official Telecommunications Service of the
Football Confederation's showpiece national team event.
Tickets will go on sale at a variety of ticket outlets in both venues,
Miami and Los Angeles. Fans can find their nearest outlet by calling:
Miami: 1-888-649-7247
Los Angeles: Ticketmaster, 1-213-480-3232.
For group tickets or suites at the Rose Bowl: 1-213-620-8087.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $50, with discounts for advance
purchase and a variety of group prices.
As of 1 December, the confirmed sponsors for the Gold Cup are:
Texaco - Official Oil and Gasoline, State Farm - Official Insurance
Provider, Americatel - Official Telecommunications Service,
Dr. Pepper - Official Soft Drink, Banamex - Official Bank
Inter/Forever Sports of Miami, the Confederation's marketing
partner for the Gold Cup, has also signed the following local sponsors: Warehouse Shoe Sale - Local Footwear Retailer (and official
ticket sales outlet - Los Angeles area), Los Defensores - Local Legal
Service Provider, Winn Dixie - Local Supermarket (and official
ticket sales outlet - Miami area)

PAGE 4

BLATTER ATTENDS UN CEREMONY,

VISITS METROPOLITAN OVAL

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter completed a two-day tour of New York with a number of events after attending the meeting of
the FC Executive Committee the day before.
Following the Executive Committee meeting, Blatter accompanied FC Vice President
Alan Rothenberg and U.S. Soccer Federation
President Dr. Bob Contiguglia to the
Metropolitan Oval, located in the borough of Queens in New
York City. A field in use since 1925 and a vital part of football
history in the USA, the Met Oval has been resurrected with a
grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation which saw the laying of
an artificial turf surface.
On Tuesday, Blatter was accompanied by FC President Jack
A. Warner and FC General Secretary Chuck Blazer as part of the
FIFA delegation which launched the FIFA-UNICEF Global
Alliance for Children, which will be one of the highlights of next
year's FIFA World Cup.
Also participating in the ceremonies held on the North Lawn
of the United Nations in New York City were Pel, U.S. women's
national team star Brandi Chastain, actor Roger Moore and
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.
Prior the UN ceremony, Blatter, Warner and Chastain visited
'Ground Zero," the area of the devastating terrorist attacks on 11
September. Mr Blatter paid his respects to the victims and
attached a FIFA pennant to the so-called "Memory Wall".

CONFEDERATION NEWS - NOVEMBER 2001

TWO U.S. WOMEN AMONG FINALISTS

FOR "FIFA WORLD PLAYER OF YEAR"

This year, for the first time, the prestigious "FIFA World Player
of the Year" award will be also made to women footballers. The
leading candidates for the women's title, also in alphabetical order,
are U.S. stars Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett, and Sun Wen of China.
The winner will be announced on Monday 17 December at the
FIFA World Player Gala 2001 in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA has
named a men's "World Player of the Year" since 1991, but this will
be the first year that a woman will be so honored.
Hamm, Milbrett and Sun were nominated in voting by 72
women's national team coaches from around the world. Five points
were awarded for a first place nomination, three points for a second place, and one point for a third. Coaches were not permitted to
vote for players from their own national team.
Hamm is the world's all-time leading scorer in international
competition with 129 career goals and has played an amazing 219
matches for the USA. Milbrett, with 86 career goals, is sixth alltime in international goalscoring and her 186 caps ranks fifth on
the USA's all-time list.
The final three for the men's award features a trio of European
players: England international David Beckham, Portugal's Luis
Figo, and Ral of Spain. In addition, three other awards will be
made at the ceremony: Team of the Year and Best Mover of the
Year according to the FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking; Fair Play
Award 2001 and Fair Play Diploma 2001; and the FIFA
Presidential Award, a new decoration for a member of the worldwide football family personally adjudicated by the FIFA President.