The Finals of the 2012 Digicel Caribbean Cup will be contested between June and July.
Jack Warner, president of the Caribbean Football Union, announced on Monday that the region’s premier tournament will undergo a massive transformation for the 2011-12 season.
competition
The announcement followed a CFU Congress on Monday.
“The 2010 edition of this competition catapulted Caribbean football into another chapter of our great story,” said Warner, who is also a vice-president of the sport’s World governing body.
“But we cannot sit idly by and allow our leading ship to sail on seas of uncertainty. Our actions plant the seeds that become our fate, and eventually blossoms into our destiny, a destiny of greatness.”
Warner hopes that the switch of dates for the tournament would allow the region’s best players to make themselves available after playing in overseas leagues, and that they contest the finals.
“Our game is developing, and we as administrators must continue to pursue strategies, which will foster further growth,” he said. “We must strive for excellence.
“I am cognisant of all of the complaints made by our members over the difficulties they encounter in gaining access to their internationally based players.”
international talent
He added: “But this competition must be used as a device to propel our talent on to the world stage, and by allowing our federations greater access to their international talent, we will ensure that the standard of the competition is lifted.
About two-dozen teams took part in last year’s DigiCup, which was contested between September and December, and was won by Jamaica.
The congress also decided to review, with CONCACAF, the format and regulations for the Caribbean Club Champions Cup, which decide the CFU’s three berths in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Club Champions Cup will be staged from March to May 2011, and regional bosses intend to implement changes, which would result in an increase in the participation level for the 2012 tournament.
