Report: Barbados stands firm in Hallam Hope eligibility dispute

A report in the Barbados Nation carries confirmation of the Guyana Chronicle’s assertion that the Guyana Football Federation has challenged the result of the 2-2 draw between Barbados and Guyana in 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying.

The dispute rests on the GFF’s conviction that forward Hallam Hope - who scored a brace in the match - was not eligible to play for Barbados, as he had not received appropriate authorization from FIFA for a switch in nationality after a youth international career playing for England.

Speaking to the Nation’s Anmar Goodridge-Boyce, a source “familiar with the matter” confirmed the complaint had been filed with both CONCACAF and FIFA. But the source also indicated the Barbados Football Association is confident it is in the right:

The fact is they [Hope and central defender Krystian Pearce] are Bajans who never represented another senior national first team...We did nothing wrong. The players must have Bajan passports and that is it.

If Guyana is successful in overturning the result of its September CNL qualifier against Barbados, it can expect to be awarded a 3-0 forfeit win - and that would put the Golden Jaguars among the leading contenders for qualification for the 2019 Gold Cup.