PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Cuba will not contest the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament this summer in the USA because of problems they say in putting together a “competitive” team.

The Cuba Football Association (AFC) has advised the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) that it has withdrawn from the July 3-26 tournament because of “legitimate issues”.

Haiti will replace them as the fourth Caribbean side in the tournament.

Cuba had qualified for the Gold Cup by reaching the semi-finals of the 2008 Digicel Caribbean Championship last December, placing fourth after losing the third-place play-off on penalties to Guadeloupe.

According to CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer, Cuba asked the CFU at its recently concluded congress to withdraw from the tournament due to “legitimate issues”.

“They have an issue right now with the number of players they have and what they have to do to develop a fully competitive team,” clarified Blazer, who attended the CFU congress.

Cuba are currently ranked No.3 in the CFU behind Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, after holding the No.1 spot for five months during last year – January, February, July, August and November of 2008.

CONCACAF and CFU president Jack Warner explained that the decision was taken after an extensive discussion with all parties.

“Upon the request of the Cuban Football Association (AFC) and after prolonged discussions between the AFC, the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and CONCACAF, the CFU Executive Committee made the decision on March 7 to replace Cuba with Haiti,” Warner said.

Haiti had failed to reach the Digicel semis after placing third in Group B of the final round where they beat Cuba (1-0) but lost to Guadeloupe (2-3) and drew with Antigua and Barbuda (1-1).

The 2008 Digicel Caribbean Championship winners Jamaica and with runners-up Grenada, Guadeloupe and Haiti will now be the CFU teams contesting the Gold Cup.

Twelve nations will be drawn into three first-round groups for the Gold Cup — Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama and the USA.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in 13 USA cities, with the semi-finals at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 23 and the championship three days later at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The number of venues is more than double the previous high of six.