With a 3-1 win over Montserrat, Belize won their delayed CONCACAF preliminary round series and earned a place in the first group phase. Deon MCCAULAY, who scored a hat trick in the first leg, added another goal to lead Belize to victory by an 8-3 aggregate scoreline. The second leg was played in Honduras because of a dispute in which the government of Belize refused to provide security, resulting in a temporary FIFA suspension.

The second leg of CONCACAF preliminary series 1 is set to proceed on SUN 17 JUL 2011 with FIFA’s temporary reinstatement of Belize. The match against Montserrat was to be played on SUN 19 JUN 2011, but as a result of a dispute with the Football Federation of Belize, the country’s government refused to provide security. FIFA responded by postponing the match and suspending Belize; although the suspension is now provisionally lifted, FIFA has insisted that the match be played on neutral ground to avoid the same problem recurring. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is now the chosen venue for the second leg.

FIFA has suspended the Football Federation of Belize, citing government interference and forcing the postponement of Belize’s upcoming qualifier. The government of Belize indicated in a letter to FIFA that police forces would not provide security at the second leg of the CONCACAF preliminary round series against Montserrat, owing to a dispute over the Belizean federation’s legal status. FIFA announced the suspension and the match postponement on FRI 17 JUN 2011, one day after receiving the letter. According to FIFA, Belize risks disqualification from the Brazil 2014 qualifiers if the dispute cannot be resolved by SUN 10 JUL 2011.

In the first qualifier for Brazil 2014, Belize defeated Montserrat 5-2 and took the early lead in their CONCACAF preliminary round series. Belize’s Deon MCCAULAY scored a hat trick, and Jay HODGSON scored Montserrat’s two. Belize host the second leg as they play for a place in the first group phase.

The first qualifier for the 2014 Men’s World Cup will see Montserrat host Belize at Couva in Trinidad-Tobago on WED 15 JUN 2011. This is one of five serieses in the CONCACAF preliminary round that is played over the coming month; the match that was to kick off the campaign, St Lucia-Aruba, has now been rescheduled to SAT 09 JUL 2011. In all, more than 800 qualifying matches are scheduled to be played to decide the other 31 nations that join automatic qualifiers Brazil.

Some changes have been made to the opening rounds of CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2014 Men’s World Cup. Instead of an opening round involving all 35 member nations, there will now be a preliminary round in which the ten lowest ranked teams play off for five places in the first group phase. Here, six groups of four teams each are formed, and the group winners proceed. These teams, plus six other teams that received byes, enter the semifinal round. From then on, the qualifying campaign proceeds as normal. The top two teams in each of the three semifinal groups advance to the final round, a single group from which the top three qualify and the fourth placed team enters the playoffs. more...