Bermuda Football Association (BFA) have yet to receive final confirmation on new dates for next month?s Digicel Caribbean Cup competition in the Cayman Islands.

After sustaining considerable damage early last month during Hurricane Ivan, Cayman Island Football Association (CIFA) first hinted at the possibility of seeking an alternative venue to host Group E matches.

However, CIFA president Jeffrey Webb later confirmed the Caribbean island would press ahead with plans to host the tournament, the first step on the road to next year?s biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament.

?We haven?t made any definite dates as to when we can host the tournament here. But as of right now we are still attempting to have the tournament played here,? Webb told nearlytwo weeks ago.

It was earlier reported the Truman Bodden Sports Centre ? set to host the group stage of the inaugural tournament ? had suffered considerable damage with the main grandstand?s roof torn off and changing room facilities, fencing bordering the football pitch and the facility?s lighting all badly affected.

Bermuda have encountered difficulties of their own in the lead-up to the competition ? that of encouraging players to come out to train with the senior national team under new coach, Kyle Lightbourne. Training sessions so far have failed to attract even a third of the 37 players named by Lightbourne in his initial squad and the new coach is expected to invite a number of new players to train as early as this week.

Bermuda have been placed in Group E along with St.Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands

Meanwhile, CONCACAF giants Cuba have already advanced to the second round of the Digicel Cup without even having kicked a ball.

The Caribbean island were due to host Group C matches in Havana involving the Dominican Republic, Guyana and the Netherlands Antilles, beginning tomorrow.

However, all three of thse countries withdrew from the competition last week for undisclosed reasons, according to CONCACAF spokesperson Steve Torres.

Cuban soccer federation president Luis Hernandez confirmed the three countries had notified the host island early last week that they would not be arriving. They did not provide further details, he said.

Cuba reached the quarter-finals of the 2003 Gold Cup tournament co-hosted by four-time champions Mexico.

The Digicel Cup competition consists of 24 teams placed into six groups of four with the two top teams from each group progressing to the CFU second round qualifiers, composed of six home-and-away series matches from December 12 to 19.

The eventual victors from the second round will join host nation Barbados in the CFU final round of qualification from February 20 to 24.

The region?s top three teams will all advance to next July?s CONCACAF Gold Cup competition.

The twelve-team Gold Cup is scheduled for July 1-17, 2005. The sites have not been selected.

The 2003 event was spread across three cities ? Foxboro, Massachusetts, Miami, Florida and Mexico City.