CONCACAF Cancels U-17 Tourney Over Swine Flu

NEW YORK (AP) – Concerns about swine flu prompted CONCACAF to cancel the rest of its under-17 soccer championship in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States had clinched spots in the semifinals of the tournament, being played in Tijuana.

But after the Mexican government announced it was closing schools nationwide, CONCACAF said Monday it was abandoning the tournament “to safeguard the health of players, officials and fans.”

The semifinals of the tournament were set for Wednesday, with the championship and third-place matches on Saturday. All four teams will advance to the U-17 World Cup, which is Oct. 24-Nov. 15 in Nigeria.

CONCACAF, soccer’s governing body for the North and Central American and Caribbean regions, also announced it will delay the second leg of its Champions League finals until May 12. Cruz Azul and Atlante FC, both Mexican teams, were to play Wednesday in Cancun for the title of CONCACAF’s best club team.

Atlante leads the two-game series 2-0 after winning in Mexico City last week.

CONCACAF is still reviewing whether it will proceed with its beach championship, scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday in Puerto Vallarta.

Cruz Azul played to an empty stadium Saturday, one of three games held without fans as part of the effort to stem the flu outbreak. The Mexico City club had already said it would do the same for this Saturday’s match against Indios of Ciudad Juarez.

With the death toll rising from the epidemic, playing games in empty stadiums is part of a wider effort to contain the outbreak.

Health officials say 20 deaths in Mexico are confirmed to be from swine flu. In addition, swine flu is suspected in more than 100 other deaths.

A top baseball team is moving its games this week to northern Mexico, and a weekend diving tournament – headed by leading Chinese divers – was held without any fans.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)