Verdes FC Withdraws from Scotiabank Tournament Due to COVID-19

Verdes Football Club has reached the end of the road for its participation in the Scotiabank CONCACAF League Tournament after several of its players and members of the coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19.  A total of ten persons have come down with the virus, despite initially testing negative in Cancun prior to departure for the Dominican Republic.  As a result of the unfortunate situation, the ownership and management of the team, following the advice of CONCACAF officials, have decided to withdraw from the regional competition.  A pair of infected players will remain quarantined in Panama for fourteen days, while four infected players and four members of the coaching staff will also remain in quarantine in the Dominican Republic.  The remainder of the team is expected to return to Belize on Friday and will go into quarantine at the F.F.B. headquarters in Belmopan.

Sergio Chuc

Sergio Chuc, President, Football Federation of Belize

“Two of the players are in quarantine in Panama and we have an additional four players quarantined in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, along with four of the coaching staff.  So in total we have ten of the delegation members quarantined in two separate places, in Santo Domingo and in Panama.  The remainder of the team is, as we speak, traveling back to Cancun and later today they will be heading to Belize and should be in Belize tomorrow, the rest of the delegation.”

Isani Cayetano

“I understand that arrangements are being made for those individuals who are returning to also be quarantined at the F.F.B. facility.”

Sergio Chuc

“Yes, in an abundance of caution, I spoke to the president of the league, Mr. Haylock, and we also communicated with Mr. Lorin Frazier, the manager of the Verdes Football Club, and they had requested the assistance of the federation in having these players quarantined, even though the law provides that Belizeans could come home once they have their PCR test and go right at their house and quarantine there for a couple days.  We know of the situation, it is a very sensitive situation and we know that some of these guys that may have tested negative with their tests on Monday may actually, the symptoms of the virus may have actually been missed and it could have been a false negative.  So they might be coming with a negative PCR test, so in an abundance of caution the federation is working along with Verdes Football Club and we are going to provide our facilities so that they could quarantine in the next five to seven days.  The Ministry of Health could swab them and who needs to go home goes home.”