Hait vs. Jamaica Soccer Ft Lauderdale May 23

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Boyz, Haiti for May 23 friendly in US

Sean Williams

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Reggae Boyz will tackle Caribbean rivals Haiti in a friendly international in Fort Lauderdale, USA, on Saturday, May 23, it was announced yesterday.

JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell made the disclosure at the Sherwin Williams Women's Football Awards Presentation at the Federation's New Kingston offices a day after confirming a home game for the senior team against Panama on June 7.

"The senior Reggae boyz team will play against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale and we expect it to be a massive game because the people of Haiti will be celebrating a special holiday period (Compas Month)," Burrell said.

Organiser of the game, Jeremy Mullings, said he expects a large crowd for the game as the USA will be celebrating Memorial Weekend which falls in line with the May month of celebrations for south Florida's Haitians.

This is also a time when the rest of the Caribbean Diaspora swings into party mode.

"We are hoping for a sell-out crowd at Lockhart Stadium with all that will be happening on that weekend, and we are getting a good vibe about the event already...

and as you know whenever Jamaica play Haiti, it brings out the best in both," said Mullings from Florida yesterday.

Jamaica may not have their strongest team for the encounter as the game will not be played on a FIFA-sanctioned date, but Burrell promised that "we will have all our available overseas-based players".

The CONCACAF Executive Committee member noted that the match provides an opportunity "for the best local players in the Premier League" to perform for coach John Barnes and his team.

Burrell and his team have been finding it difficult to get top-class opposition for the Reggae Boyz - their efforts thwarthed by the team's 70th placing on the FIFA standings and elimination from the World Cup qualifying race.

"It's not easy to get worthy opponents now as they're engaged in World Cup qualifiers and...

are playing those games on FIFA calendar dates, plus we're not attractive to them because we're not in the World Cup mix," Burrell said on Wednesday in announcing the Panama contest.

The Burrell administration was busy these past weeks deflecting media flak for the Boyz's inactivity on the last two FIFA calendar dates of March 28 and April 1.
For the March date, the JFF was in fact in advanced negotiations for a match against Oman in Muscat, but the Gulf state decided late to play South Africa instead.

The senior team's last friendly international was played on the first FIFA date of the year, February 11 in London, when they played to an entertaining 0-0 tie with Nigeria's Super Eagles.

The matches between Haiti and Panama will provide the Reggae Boyz with their final tune-up ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup which runs from July 3-26 in 13 US cities.

Haiti, like Jamaica, are out of World Cup contention but will join their Caribbean neighbours in the Gold Cup. Ranked a modest 119 by FIFA, Haiti will contest Group B alongside the USA, Honduras and Digicel Caribbean Championships runners-up Grenada.

Jamaica, who won the regional championships, will compete in Group A alongside Canada, Costa Rica and El Salvador, while Panama contest Group C with Guadeloupe, Mexico and Nicaragua.

Leonard Smart, April 17 2009, 4:21 PM

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