MIAMI: Trinidad & Tobago will be included in next week's draw for the 2021 Gold Cup despite the country's suspension by world governing body
FIFA
, CONCACAF said Friday.
A statement from the regional body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) said the federation would take a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether Trinidad & Tobago would compete in the tournament.
If FIFA's suspension remained in force up to December 18, 2020, Trinidad & Tobago would be replaced in the preliminary draw by Antigua and Barbuda.
FIFA suspended Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for "grave violations" of its statutes following a local court challenge to its imposition of a new committee, following serious mismanagement.
It was the latest chapter of a turbulent relationship between FIFA and the Caribbean island nation's football authorities.
In May, Swiss prosecutors opened a fresh investigation which marked the latest in a string of allegations involving Trinidad's long-serving FIFA official
Jack Warner
.
The former FIFA vice president, who has been banned from football for life, is battling extradition to the United States to face charges of racketeering and conspiracy as part of a global graft probe into world football's governing body.
The Swiss investigation targeted former FIFA chief
Sepp Blatter
for suspected criminal mismanagement of funds over a decade-old $1 million payment.
The probe is connected with a loan FIFA gave to the
TTFA
in 2010, which was given interest-free, with no collateral, and was quickly forgiven as a "subsidy", a document seen by AFP showed.
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