Trinidad and Tobago is likely to play Haiti on October 13 in the first of a two-leg playoff for a spot in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, which will be held next year in the United States.
Representing South America will be Brazil, Argentina, Bolivi, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
CONCACAF representatives so far are Mexico, USA, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Either Trinidad and Tobago or Haiti, and either of Panama or Cuba will fill the final two berths via two, two-leg playoff series.
Yesterday, Williams Wallace, manager of the Trinidad and Tobago senior team, disclosed that CONCACAF were seeking to schedule the first leg of the playoff with Haiti for one of the international friendly days in October.
Meanwhile, South America countries are eager to play the competition, despite an ongoing bribery investigation, their president Juan Angel Napout indicated. The 16-nation tournament was jeopardised when American prosecutors alleged massive bribery in international football, including a scheme linked to a US$112.5 million broadcasting deal for the one-off event to celebrate CONMEBOL’s 100th birthday.
“We wish that of course we can have the Copa Centenario as we wanted to, but I can’t say what CONCACAF wants,” Napout told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a CONMEBOL executive committee meeting.
Napout said he was “very optimistic” about talking with CONCACAF leaders after last month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.