HOME ADVANTAGE doesn’t matter anymore, especially when you can’t qualify. And more importantly, when you can’t afford to have it.
But Barbados football fans won’t mind being spared the agony of paying to see the national team’s meaningless final 2014 World Cup CONCACAF Group B qualifying match against Bermuda on November 14.
That match, which was slated for the National Stadium, will now be played in Hamilton, with Bermuda also hosting the Bajan Tridents on November 11 as originally scheduled in the FIFA World Cup fixtures.
The Tridents have already been eliminated from the competition, losing all four of their matches without scoring a single goal.
According to reports, the only venue the match could have been played at in Barbados was at Kensington Oval, which would have cost the cash-strapped Barbados Football Association about $50 000.
Barbados twice lost to Guyana by 2-0 margins in their home-and-away tie and also succumbed to Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 at home and 4-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain.
The Barbados Football Association (BFA) is yet to officially announce that they would no longer be hosting its leg of the Bermuda tie.
The BFA yesterday released the decision to let Bermuda host both matches, through its general secretary David Hinds.
But the decision was made since last month.
In an email sent to executive council members late last month, the BFA said the change was made through negotiations with the Bermuda Football Association.
“This decision is largely due to the unavailability of the National Stadium and the financial constraints of the BFA,” the email said.
Because of national team’s dismal results this year with six losses, a draw and just one victory in eight internationals under new coach Colin “Potato” Forde, Barbados are now ranked 148th in the world.
It is their worst position since 2006 when they were listed at 152nd but made a huge climb to 93rd under technical advisor Keith Griffith and head coach Eyre Sealy.
