Cudjoe urges TTFA to play World Cup qualifier in Curacao

MINISTER of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe said there are three options for Trinidad and Tobago's FIFA World Cup qualifier against Guyana, on March 25, with the preferred option of playing the match in Curacao.

On Saturday, speaking at the Ministry of Health covid19 briefing, Cudjoe said, "I think the suggestion that TTFA would have made earlier to play the game in Curacao...I think that option should be taken but at the end of the day we await the response of TTFA on this matter."

Cudjoe earlier said, "The TTFA would have applied to the Ministry of Health for permission of a clearance to have the players come in to play the game here in TT and the Ministry of Health would have responded to TTFA offering three options."

According to Cudjoe, the three options are : to bring the players in time to quarantine to play; set the match for a later date to allow the players the time to properly quarantine or to play the game on a neutral ground in the Caribbean or within the Americas that both teams could agree on.

"When we were first approached by TTFA one of the options was to play in Curacao so I am thinking that TTFA may lean more towards Curacao at this point in time."

Cudjoe said the request by TTFA was made on February 2 which did not give the Ministry of Health and the TTFA much time to negotiate.

Discussing the importance of keeping the nation and the footballers safe, Cudjoe said, "We must remember as passionate as we are about wanting to play at home on home grounds and wanting home ground advantage, our priority is to ensure that our citizens are safe, that even these same footballers who are coming in are safe because they are coming from places like Denmark, the United Kingdom, the USA and other places where other strains of covid (exist)."

Cudjoe said everyone must be "protected."