Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officially confirmed yesterday that Bermuda will not play host to next week?s Digicel Caribbean Cup finals qualification Group J triangular play-off involving the Island?s national team, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

In a written press release, CFU cited high air travel cost for chartered flights to bring Haiti and the Dominican Republic?s national football teams to the Island directly, as well as US transit visa access, as the two primary reasons for their last-minute decision to reschedule the matches to be held in Trinidad and Tobago from January 5 to 9.

?The final qualification Group J of the Digicel Caribbean Cup has had to be moved from the originally proposed venue of Bermuda from December 12-16 to now being held in Trinidad from January 5-9, 2007,? the press release read.

?Although the Bermuda Government was involved in assisting the Bermuda FA in their difficult search for flight availability, charter plane costs, as well as visa access through the USA, the demands proved to be the undoing of the Digicel Caribbean Cup finals qualification being held in Bermuda.

?Despite numerous efforts by both the Caribbean Football Union and the Bermuda Football Association it has proven beyond possibility to ensure flights and the required visa permissions to transport either the Dominican Republic or Haitian teams.?

While Haiti did agree to host the triangular play-off involving the third-placed teams from the second round of group qualification, Bermuda?s national squad faced similar difficulties with flights to travel to this next proposed host country, prompting the CFU to move the final qualifying groups to Trinidad in January.

?The Caribbean Football Union has been integral in assisting and advising all countries concerned in their efforts in the hosting of the tournament,? the press statement added.

Bermuda?s national team will now take on Dominican Republic on January 5, and Haiti on January 9 in Trinidad with the eventual winner of Group J advancing to the Digicel Caribbean Cup finals. Others involved will be Trinidad, Cuba, Martinique, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from January 12 to 23.

Bermuda Football Association (BFA), who publicly announced on Tuesday that next week?s matches have been postponed at the NSC and rescheduled for Trinidad, have vowed to continue their efforts to try and regain home-field advantage.

?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,? stated Bermuda Football Association (BFA) technical committee chairman Mark Trott.

?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.?