Home »

CONCACAF Exco meets in Netherlands Antilles (Caribbean island of Curacao)

28.3.07 - The CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Executive Committee met on the Caribbean island of Curacao on Tuesday evening, its first meeting of 2007 and its first ever meeting in the Netherlands Antilles.

The meeting, timed to coincide with the Annual Congress of the Caribbean Football Union, was also the last meeting for the CONCACAF Vice President (North America Zone) Alan Rothenberg (USA) who had previously announced his intention to retire at the end of his current term of office.

CONCACAF President Jack Warner led the Committee in thanking Mr. Rothenberg for his dedicated service to CONCACAF throughout his 12-year tenure on the Executive Committee.

Nominations to replace Mr. Rothenberg as the CONCACAF Vice President (North America Zone) have now closed and Guillermo Cañedo (Mexico) is uncontested for this position. His elevation to the Vice Presidency, effective from the XXV CONCACAF Ordinary Congress on 12 May 2007 in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), means he will vacate his existing position as Member of the CONCACAF Executive (North America Zone).

The CONCACAF Executive Committee therefore unanimously designated Sunil Gulati, President of the United States Soccer Federation, to serve the remaining two years of Mr. Cañedo's term as Member (North America Zone), commencing from 12 May 2007.

The Executive Committee received reports of current and upcoming CONCACAF events including news that all 35 CONCACAF members of FIFA have entered the FIFA World Cup™ South Africa 2010. The Executive Committee reconfirmed that the qualifying format for this event, to be submitted for approval by the FIFA World Cup Organising Committee on 1 June, will be the same as for World Cup 2006, culminating in a final round of six teams.

Finally, the Committee also approved the proposal from the CONCACAF Secretariat to launch a CONCACAF Champions League starting in 2009. The new, CONCACAF Champions League, including group play, will become CONCACAF's qualifying event for the annual FIFA Club World Cup. The complete format for the CONCACAF Champions League will be disclosed at the XXV CONCACAF Ordinary Congress in May.