This weekend, Belize's National Football Selection will play a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago's selection, the "Soca Boys". Both teams are preparing for the Gold Cup - so it's considered an important match for each team to test its strengths.
But, the game won't be played on the only FIFA approved field in the country, which is at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan; instead, it will be played in Belize City at the MCC Grounds. And the reason it won't be played in Belmopan?
Well, that's because the field will be in use for the LOVE FM Bandfest. Now, that's got many observers throwing their hands up because the FFB President Ruperto Vicente aggressively campaigned and protested against concerts played at the MCC.
And now he has an all-day Bandfest on Belize's only FIFA Approved football field? Sounds like a case of "do-soh no like do-soh" - and today, we asked him to explain the rationale in allowing this football pitch to be subjected to possible damage after they protested the use of the MCC Grounds for NICH's Indige-NOW and the Digicell 4G Beenie Man concerts.
He told us that standards are important, but so is funding for the National Team as they get ready to send them to Gold Cup in July:
Ruperto Vicente - President, Football Federation of Belize
"Before we discussed the international match with Trinidad, we had engaged the stadium to the organizers of the Band Fest. In fact it was the City Council for Belmopan that approached us on this venture, and looking at the activities, we realize it was an activity that we can accommodate because it will not damage anything and the surface of the pitch. When we got the game with Trinidad, we were saying that we decided that the best venue for this game would have been Belize City. It is more about raising - looking to raise more funds for the national team, of course everything we do right now with the national team, is a way of raising funds to maintain our national team. We believe that playing Trinidad in Belize City would have been the best place for it."
Daniel Ortiz
"Critics are saying that you have stepped back from your position by allowing this event to be happening here."
Ruperto Vicente
"Oh yeah, we're not stepping back, you know. If the event being held here on Saturday was proven that it would damage the surface of our pitch, we would not allow it. Vehicles will not be driven on the pitch. Tents are not going to be built on this pitch or placed on the pitch. Any other things such as stages are not going to be placed on the pitch. So nothing that is going to damage the surface of the pitch, is going to be done at the FFB stadium, and for that reason we're going to have the event here."
Isani Cayetano - Channel 5 News
"Even as a matter of principle?"
Ruperto Vicente
"Well, talking about principles, we're not going against our own principles. We will protect - we know what is - we know everything about our stadium. We know what will damage our stadiums, and we know what cannot damage our stadiums. And after discussing the issue with the organizers, we made it clear; that no - if any team that's going to be wearing high heel shoes, they cannot step on the stadium. The type of shoe that is going to be worn, is not going to put anything - is not going to damage any part of our stadium. And so that's - we made that decision and this was long before we agreed on the game with Trinidad."
Vicente assured us that the vetting process for allowing this event was strict, and that they have contingencies in place if there is any damage to the pitch.
Later on, we'll have more about the match itself as we visited with the national team during practice today, plus we'll talk to the visiting Trinidadian team which arrived today.
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