The Island will not play host to next week?s Digicel Caribbean Cup triangular play-off because the two visiting teams due to play here have failed to obtain US transit visas, the Bermuda Football Association announced yesterday.

Only last Friday local football?s governing body confirmed that Bermuda would host the play-off involving third-placed teams from the second round of Digicel qualifiers to determine the eighth and final qualifier for January?s finals in Trinidad and Tobago.

Bermuda were originally scheduled to play Dominican Republic next Tuesday at the National Sports Centre and Haiti on Saturday, December 16 in their two play-off fixtures.

But due to Dominican and Haitian team officials? failure to obtain transit visas to travel to Bermuda via the US, Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials have decided to stage the play-offs in Trinidad and Tobago from January 5 to 9 instead.

However, Bermuda Football Association (BFA) president Larry Mussenden said the Island was still determined to host the play-off. He added the Association was currently looking into the possibility of arranging for chartered flights to fly the two countries directly to the Island with the blessing of the CFU.

?The BFA has attempted to assist by trying to secure flights via Canada as well as charter flight service directly from the Caribbean to Bermuda. We also sought to have scheduled commercial flights divert to Bermuda and drop of the teams and proceed on to the United States. But unfortunately we were unsuccessful in these attempts,? Mussenden told reporters during yesterday?s press conference at BFA headquarters.

?Although this is a compromise alternative, the executive council of the BFA have decided that we will speak with the CFU and propose that if we are able to secure satisfactory travel arrangements for Haiti and the Dominican Republic that we wish to host the tournament in January in Bermuda.?

Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US, residents of Dominican Republic and Haiti have found it extremely difficult to obtain visa from US immigration.

?As a result of this situation we understand it has become very difficult for both nations to obtain visas,? Mussenden added. ?And this turn of events is as a direct result of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic?s inability to get transit visas through the United States before next week.

?We are very disappointed by this unfortunate and unavoidable set of circumstances. But allow me to also add that we are continuing our efforts to see if something can still be arranged.?

The Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals will be held from January 12 to the 23.

However, in spite of yesterday?s disappointing announcement, BFA technical committee chairman Mark Trott vowed that the national team?s Digicel preparations will go ahead as originally planned.

?We?re not going to stop training. We?re going to continue on as though the matches were going to go ahead as originally planned,? Trott said.

?I think obviously the players will be a bit disappointed, but this may in turn get the group fired up. They may view this as another obstacle to overcome and so there are a number of positives that can come out of this.

?But before we physically have to go to Trinidad we will do everything we can to try and get the play off to be held here.

?We will do everything within our power to have the matches in Bermuda. We are not going to just throw away the home field advantage because every team that has played in front of their home crowd in this tournament has made it through to the finals.

?So with this opportunity we want to play in front of our home crowd because we know Bermudians are passionate about their football and that passion will carry over into the team.?