Bahamas pull out of football World Cup due to unfinished venue
August 23rd, 2011 - 2:44 pm ICT by IANSBridgetown (Barbados), Aug 23 (IANS/CMC) The Bahamas have pulled out of the 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament, football’s world governing body FIFA has confirmed.
The northern Caribbean side had been scheduled to face Panama, Dominica and Nicaragua in Group C of the second round of CONCACAF qualifiers carded to begin early next month.
Bahamas Football Association president Anton Sealy told the the CONCACAF website that the unavailability of the newly built Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium was behind the decision to pull out.
While the actual stadium was completed at the end of June, work is still ongoing on the facility with roads, sewerage, landscaping and parking lots still being developed.
Sealy said the option of playing all of the Bahamas matches away would not only deny fans from seeing their side but would also have cost implications.
The development will be a big blow for the Bahamian aside which trounced Turks and Caicos Islands 10-0 on aggregate in a two-leg preliminary tie to qualify.
FIFA said Group C would now be contested by the remaining three teams with the winners progressing to the next stage of qualifying.
–IANS/CMC
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