KEEPING IN THE LOOP APRIL 2019 Bermuda’s footballers celebrate advancing to the Concacaf Gold Cup for the first time CFU President Randolph Harris (center) and Second Vice-President Rignaal Francisca (left) presented the hardware to the victorious 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield winners SV Robinhood SV ROBINHOOD ARE 2019 CARIBBEAN CLUB SHIELD CHAMPS Robinhood of Suriname edged defending champions Club Franciscain of Martinique 1-0 in the final of the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield played on April 15 at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao. Robinhood’s Alan Lucas Cirilo Da Costa scored a powerful 18-yard shot in minute 21 to secure the win for Suriname. The victory saw Robinhood advancing to a play-off in which it will face the fourth-place team from the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship. The winner of that match advances to the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf League. SV Robinhood has a proud and decorated history. During the club’s heyday, which spanned 1972 to 1983, they won six domestic titles and were runners-up at five Concacaf championships. Among the people witnessing the final were the members of the CFU Executive Committee, which held a meeting in Curacao on April 16. JAMAICA REGGAE BOYZ VS. USA Jamaica’s senior men’s team, Reggae Boyz, will play the US Men’s National Team in a friendly international in Washington, DC on June 5. The teams will play the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup warm-up match at the Audi Field starting at 7 pm ET. A USA vs Jamaica friendly is not only a major fan attraction game but excellent preparation for the two teams. It is also a rematch of the 2017 Gold Cup final. Jamaica’s Coach Theodore Whitmore said the encounter will help his team’s preparation. “It’s an excellent game to assess the quality of the squad assembled. Further, the timing is good—12 days before our first game in the tournament and the opponent is perfect; it’s now down to fine-tuning all aspects of the preparation and that is what we are currently doing,” Whitmore said. The US coach, Gregg Berhalter, echoed the sentiments. “As we prepare for the start of the Gold Cup, this is the perfect opportunity in terms of opponent and venue. “Playing against Jamaica, we get exposure to a different style of play and one that we may see later in the tournament.” The Reggae Boyz are in Group C for the tournament alongside Curacao, Honduras and El Salvador. They will begin their campaign at home against Honduras. The US will begin the hunt for a record-tying seventh confederation title when they face Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama in Group D. BON VOYAGE FOR REGGAE GIRLZ The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is counting on the country to rally behind the Reggae Girlz in their final game in Jamaica ahead of their historic 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign. The Reggae Girlz will face Panama on May 19 at the National Stadium, starting at 6 pm. TURKS AND CAICOS FA CELEBRATE COLLEGE GRAD The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) is celebrating senior national and beach soccer player Herby Magny, who graduated, on April 14, from Providence University College of Manitoba Canada with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and a minor in Biblical Studies. Magny joined the TCIFA grassroots programme over 12 years ago and has been a fixture on the league and national scene since. The graduate thanked his family for their sacrifice and support, and he also thanked TCIFA President Sonia Fulford and General Secretary Oliver Smith, whom he said made significant contribution to his football development and his education. President Fulford hailed Magny another TCIFA success story. She said he used “football along with (his) own passion for education, to make life better for (himself) and (his) families whilst always recognizing the role we at the TCIFA played in helping them on this path. We celebrate his success and wish him all the best.” The 21-year-old, who will soon pursue and MBA, will appear for the TCI national teams in the 2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League, and the 2019 Concacaf Beach Soccer World Cup Herby Magny Qualifiers in Mexico. Members of the CFU Committee during the April 16, 2019 Meeting CFU COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN APRIL There were a series of meetings of various committees of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) between April 15 and 16 in Curacao, which was the venue for the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield. The Referee Committee met on April 15 and there was a meeting of the principals involved in the strategic plan. The Legal Committee also met via Skype. On April 16, the Audit Committee, Finance Committee and Executive Committee held meetings. The Women’s Committee is scheduled to meet in May. Five standing committees of the CFU were reconvened. They are: Audit Committee Curtis Josepha (Curacao) Chairman; Renaldo Alnaguer (Cuba); Ian Comins (Cayman Islands); Alexander Roberts (Grenada); and Wayne Thompson (Jamaica). Finance Committee Rignaal Francisca (Curacao) Chairman; Nelson Maria (Curacao); Guno Henry Castelen (Suriname); Frederick Lunn (The Bahamas); and Andy Bickerton (British Virgin Islands). Legal Committee Bruce Blake (Cayman Islands) Chairman; Joalann Gros (Guadeloupe); Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis); Thandi McAllister (Guyana); Larry Mussenden (Bermuda); and Oliver Smith (Turks and Caicos Islands). Referee Committee Richard Dijkhoff (Aruba) Chairman; Alfredo Whittaker (Cayman Islands); Barney Callender (Barbados); Johan Linerol (Martinique); and Abilio Perez Fournier (Cuba). Women’s Committee Jeaninne Wong Loi Sing (Bonaire), Chairman; Monique Andre (Haiti); Danae Daal (Curacao); Armide Horth (French Guiana); Ana Rabel (Puerto Rico); Gwendolyn Salmon (Antigua); Mildred Wever (Aruba); and Jesus Pereira Leon (Cuba) STAY IN THE ‘LOOP’ Send your photos with captions, updates, scores and information to [email protected]. If you haven’t done so already, please send us the name and contact information of the media officer for your association. WWW.CFUFOOTBALL.ORG.