BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 23, 2023
We thought a visit to the Gold Cup in 2013 was the sign of a new beginning in Belize football glory; but, alas, it has been a steady slide downwards, despite all the promises of development and pronouncements about “believing in the process.” The proof of the pudding has not been nice.
Last Friday night, November 16, at the FFB Stadium, Belize’s male national team struggled against French Guiana but managed to keep them off the scoreboard, and deep into injury time, Belize sweeper Eugene Martinez advanced for an Elden Reneau corner kick, and surprised the French Guiana defense with his leaping header to steal a 1-0 victory over the visitors.
But the celebration was brief, because in our final match against St. Vincent & the Grenadines on Tuesday night, November 21, the bottom fell out for Belize at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium in St. George’s, Grenada, where it was St. Vincent & the Grenadines, 3-0, over Belize.
The less said about the Belize male national team’s performance in these Nation’s League games the better. With a last place finish in our Group C of League B, it means that Belize will now be relegated to League C in the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League.
With FFB elections due early next year, everything seems to be going right administratively with the executive, and FIFA is reportedly quite pleased with the management and accountability of their various projects. Unfortunately for football fans, it has not translated yet on the field. So, what’s next for Belize football?