By Humberto Viera
06 Sep 2024, 19:26 PM EDT
Junior Firpo, a prominent player for the Dominican Republic national soccer team, expressed his discontent this Friday at a press conference prior to the match against Bermuda, within the framework of the Concacaf Nations League.
In statements collected by EFE, Firpo criticized the decision to schedule the match at eleven in the morning in Antigua and Barbuda, pointing out that it is “a disgrace” to play at that time due to the high temperatures experienced at that time of day.
The Leeds United defender noted that during a recent meeting with Concacaf, he expressed his dissatisfaction saying: “I think it’s a shame that we have to play at eleven in the morning, which is probably when it’s hottest during the day. If there’s no light at night, maybe we should have played somewhere else.”
Despite these complaints, the match between the Dominican Republic and Bermuda, which marks their debut in the Concacaf League B, is scheduled for this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. local time (15:00 GMT) at the ABFA Technical Center in Antigua and Barbuda.
The main objective of the Dominican team in this competition is to advance as group leader to achieve a historic qualification to League A and secure a spot in the 2025 Gold Cup.
Dominican national team technical assistant Edgar Acevedo joined in the criticism by commenting on the difficult playing conditions, indicating that both teams will face “a synthetic field, where it is very hot, where the humidity is incredible.” Acevedo added: “We hope it rains or it gets a little cloudy because it is inhumane to play there.”
Continue reading:
–Two Panamanian footballers accused of match-fixing are charged
–Memphis Depay leaves Europe and goes to Corinthians in Brazil
–At least 17 football matches suspected of match-fixing in Germany