Belize risks losing Concacaf League spot if Premier League of Belize season can’t finish by May 28

Photo Credit: Altitude FC

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Inside reports from the Premier League of Belize say Concacaf has not granted an extension beyond May 28 to the Premier League of Belize to name Belize’s club representative to the 2023 Concacaf League.

As it stands, Belize risks losing the Concacaf League spot to another country if the season can’t finish by May 28. This would affect Belizean football negatively, since regaining the spot could become a problem should Concacaf sanction the PLB for not providing a competitor by the deadline which is yearly set for the end of May.

The Premier League of Belize (PLB) is in a bind at this point as naming the club representative for the 2022 Concacaf League (Altitude or Verdes) by May 28 is nearly impossible unless the domestic season finishes before that date. Considering the present situation, with the San Pedro Pirates saying they will re-appeal the PLB Disciplinary Committee’s decision to play the pending game against Verdes in Belmopan on Wednesday night, can cause another delay, the PLB consulted with Concacaf. The regional body, however, said the deadline can’t be extended due to scheduling issues.

Altitude, who won the Opening Championship but didn’t qualify to the Closing Championship playoffs, are second in the cumulative table and would qualify for the Concacaf League if Verdes do not win the closing championship. However, if Verdes win, Verdes qualify.

But at this point, both run the risk of not being able to represent the country internationally. The other three teams in the playoffs can vie for the national title but cannot aspire to a Concacaf spot since that spot is reserved for the champions with the highest cumulative points. It’s clear that for them, at this point the Concacaf League means nothing. However, if Belize loses the spot, they may find themselves not being able to aspire for official international play next season either.

The only way the PLB can finish the season by Sunday, May 28, is for all teams to agree to play midweek games. It behooves the teams to agree to that (if they can afford it), otherwise it would be like ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’.

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