Sugar Boyz To Face Puerto Rico and Bahamas In World Cup Qualifiers

The Sugar Boys will be competing in two World Cup qualifiers during the FIFA
international break from March 21-March 30. The first match will be on March 24, in the
Dominican Republic against Puerto Rico and the second on March 27 against the Bahamas in
that country.

General Secretary of the SKNFA Stanley Jacobs said due to COVID-19
restrictions, the home matches in St. Kitts and Nevis had to be moved to the Dominican
Republic as that country has more relaxed COVID measures. The same goes for the
Bahamas, hence why the matches are being held in both countries.

“This decision was made by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association to ensure that the
senior men’s team has the best possible opportunity to win these two games; taking into
consideration everything that is going on, not just the COVID-19 restrictions but also having
our best players available,” Mr. Jacobs said.

He noted that there will be sufficient testing of the players and technical team that will be
traveling to these matches. “It has been a long planning process taking into consideration the
strict COVID-19 protocols of FIFA’s return to football…to ensure that there is continuous
testing from the point of departures from the home country,” he said. Testing will be required
prior to matches, after the matches and before returning home to St. Kitts and Nevis, the
SKNFA General Secretary disclosed. “At the SKNFA we are in the process of putting
together our COVID-19 risk assessment and also our COVID-19 risk mitigation strategy and
this is the strategy that the national team will employ as it competes in these very important
matches,” Jacobs added.

The SKNFA has been working closely with Concacaf and FIFA to ensure that the hosting of
the matches adheres to the FIFA International Match Protocols. A 23 man squad for St. Kitts
and Nevis has been released. These are:

Jelani Archibald
Zaykeese Smith
Clifford Samuel
Lois Maynard
Andre Burley

Raheem Francis
Denis Fleming
Ordell Flemming
Malique Roberts
Raheem Hanley
Gerard Williams
Theo Wharton
Raheem Somersall
Yohannes Mitchum
Nicquan Phipps
Mervin Lewis
Tishan Hanley
Omari Sterlin James
Vinceroy Nelson
Kimaree Rogers
Rowan Liburd
Keithroy Freeman
Tahir Hanley

Head Coach: Leonard Neiva
Asst. Coach: George Isaac
GK Coach: Gerhard Benthin
Trainer: Kenneth Douglas
Physio: Alister James
Kitmen: Leroy Sweeney & Roger Hendricks
Doctor: Carlton Williams
Manager: Jamir Claxton
HOD: Don Grant

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