First victim of the crisis: El Salvador U-15 women’s team out of the CONCACAF tournament in the USA

Although the crisis continues in El Salvadoran soccer, many were surprised that the U-15 women’s team from that country did not appear among the teams announced by CONCACAF to compete starting this Sunday in Tampa, Florida.

The women’s team from El Salvador was classified for that event after a third place finish in a Central American tournament in Costa Rica.

The Salvadoran press has indicated that the exclusion of El Salvador is the consequence of the current problems the national football federation is going through while waiting for a resolution from FIFA after recent measures by the National Sports Institute (INDES) to avoid possible sanctions from world football’s governing body.

The reasons for El Salvador’s exclusion are not stated in CONCACAF’s note on the tournament.

Nineteen countries from the area of North, Central America and the Caribbean plus Wales will participate in the contest as a guest nation.

A few days ago, the players had hung a banner on the access gate to the facilities of the Salvadoran Federation (FESFUT) with the following message, anticipating the worst: “Urgently process this week’s trip, CONCACAF tournament.”

The local press warned if the respective logistics, including visa procedures, were not approved on time, this team of teenagers could become the first national team affected by the crisis in Salvadoran soccer, which is exactly what happened.

Around The Rings has sent an email to CONCACAF.

The Salvadorans had been training for this competition for months, but their preparation was interrupted two weeks ago at the FESFUT facilities.

“The only thing we want is to travel, and give everything for the country”, declared the captain of the U-15 side Nicole Valenzuela. Her claims were in vain and the first victim has been women’s football.

Meanwhile, while waiting for FIFA’s interpretation of the “interruption” of the Normalizing Commission announced by INDES that rejects interference in FESFUT, the resignation of the executive committee of that federation was known after it was requested by the soccer union, doing so as “an act of goodwill with Salvadoran football.”

The entire executive board agreed to resign except for Hugo Carrillo, president of FESFUT.

Salvadoran soccer has suffered great uncertainty in recent weeks after the suspension of matches in the professional divisions amid FIFA’s threat to ban the country from international activity.

The different representatives of national football also asked the members of the current Executive Committee to stand down from re-election with a view to the imminent Electoral Congress for the 2022-2026 term. They also called on FIFA and CONCACAF to take control of the situation and start a process of administrative regularization and the reactivation of football after the call for votes.

The president of INDES, Yamil Bukele, brother of the president of the Republic, has said that “the whole problem with FESFUT has been due to non-compliance with the General Sports Law” after warnings to its president three years ago.

At the same time, an investigation has been opened for alleged money laundering and fraudulent administration against the head of the FESFUT, Hugo Carrillo, for allegedly laundering money from whom Bukele has said that “anywhere in the world, such a leader resigns.”