The inaugural Digicel Caribbean Cup competition originally scheduled to be held in the Cayman Islands next month could now be staged at an alternative venue, can reveal.

Speaking by telephone from the hurricane-ravaged Caribbean island, Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) general secretary Bruce Blake said yesterday his country would ?not be able to host the upcoming tournament? as a result of damage inflicted by the recent storm.

Blake confirmed that the Truman Bodden Sports Centre ? slated to host Digicel Cup Group E matches ? had sustained considerable structural damage when Hurricane Ivan hit land earlier this month, leaving the association with no option but to seek an alternative venue.

CIFA officials are currently drawing up a new proposal that will be submitted to CONCACAF ? the region?s governing body ? while all domestic football on the Caribbean island has been suspended ?indefinitely?, said Blake.

?At this point we are assessing the needs of all of our member clubs and players,? he added. ?We are trying to find out what their personal and family needs are at the moment in order to give them as much aid as we possibly can.

?But in respect to football, the league has been suspended indefinitely. And as far as the Digicel Cup is concerned my president (Jeffrey Webb) and I have discussed looking to stage the event at a different venue and he now intends to forward that proposal to CONCACAF.?

Blake said 40 percent of the Sports Centre?s roof on the main grandstand had been torn off, changing room facilities damaged while fencing bordering the football pitch had been peeled back and two poles containing lighting downed during the storm.

Yesterday?s news was in contrast to statements made on Monday by Bermuda Football Association general secretary David Sabir.

According to Sabir, the cup competition had been put back until the ?last two weeks? in November. ?Today (Monday) we have been advised by the general secretary of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) that the Digicel Caribbean Cup matches to be held in the Cayman Islands next month will not take place at that time due to damage caused by recent hurricanes,? Sabir told ?This means the tentative dates for the tournament have been pushed back to the last two weeks in November.?

However, it?s understood Blake contacted the BFA yesterday to clarify CIFA?s postion.

Bermuda are among the favourites to qualify for the second round of the inaugural competition, originally scheduled to be held from October 26 to 30.

The Island team have been placed in Group E along with St.Vincent and the Grenadines, hosts Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

The Digicel Cup is the first step on the road to next year?s CONCACAF Gold Cup competition. The competition consists of 24 teams placed into six groups of four with the top two from each group progressing to the CFU second round qualifiers, composed of six home-and-away series matches from December 12 to 19.

The second round winners will advance to the third round where they will take part in three home-and-away encounters in early January, 2005, with the eventual victors joining host nation Barbados in the CFU final round of qualification from February 20 to 24.

The region?s top three teams will all secure Caribbean berths and advance to next July?s CONCACAF Gold Cup competition.