The 1996 Caribbean Cup, known as the Shell/Umbro Caribbean Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 14th international association football championship for members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). It was the eighth edition of the Caribbean Cup which replaced the CFU Championship. Hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, the competition ran from 24 May – 7 June 1996 and was contested by the national teams of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The final tournament began with the first matches in the group stage on 24 May 1996 and ended with the final on 7 June 1996. Hosts and two-time defending champions Trinidad and Tobago defeated Cuba 2–0 in the final to win the competition for the fifth time.
Background The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) was founded in January 1978 as a sub-confederation of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Later the same year, the first CFU Championship was organised in Trinidad and Tobago. The competition was held semi-regularly until the final edition in 1988. From 1989, it was replaced by the Caribbean Cup.
The tournament was jointly sponsored by Royal Dutch Shell and Umbro.
Trinidad and Tobago were two-time defending champions after winning the previous two editions in 1994 and 1995. Trinidad and Tobago were also the most successful team in the history of the competition after winning the trophy on four previous occasions.
Format A qualifying tournament was held to determine seven of the eight teams that would participate in the final tournament. Hosts and holders Trinidad and Tobago qualified automatically. The 18 competing teams were drawn into seven groups of two or three teams. Group two was played as a single round-robin where each team would play all of the others once. The winner of the group would qualify for the final tournament. The remaining groups were played as a series of two-legged ties. In the groups of three, one team was given a bye while the other two teams contested a two-legged tie and the team that scored the most goals on aggregate advanced to the second round. The remaining two teams contested a final two-legged tie and the team that scored the most goals on aggregate would qualify for the final tournament. In the groups of two, the teams contested one two-legged tie and the team that scored the most goals on aggregate would qualify for the final tournament.
For the final tournament, the eight teams were drawn into two groups of four teams. Each group was played as a single round-robin where each team would play all of the others once. The winners and runners-up of each group would contest the semi-finals with the winners advancing to the final and the losers contesting the third-place play-off.
Participants
Qualifying tournament Group 1 The Netherlands Antilles withdrew after losing the first leg to Grenada. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines defeated Grenada to qualify for the final tournament.
First round
Netherlands Antilles withdrew, Grenada advanced.
Second round
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won 4–2 on aggregate.
Group 2 Qualifying group 2, held in Saint Kitts and Nevis, was played between 27 and 31 May 1996. Saint Kitts and Nevis qualified as group winners after defeating Sint Maarten 3–0 in their final match.
Table
Results
Group 3 Haiti defeated the Dominican Republic to qualify for the final tournament.
Haiti won 7–1 on aggregate.
Group 4 Cuba defeated the Cayman Islands to qualify for the final tournament.
Second leg not played, Cuba advanced.
Group 5 Martinique defeated Saint Lucia to qualify for the final tournament.
First round
Saint Lucia won 2–1 on aggregate.
Second round
Martinique won 2–0 on aggregate.
Group 6 Antigua and Barbuda withdrew. Jamaica defeated Barbados to qualify for the final tournament.
2–2 on aggregate. Jamaica won 4–3 on penalties.
Group 7 Suriname defeated French Guiana and Guyana to qualify for the final tournament.
First round
Suriname won 3–2 on aggregate.
Second round
3–3 on aggregate. Suriname won 5–3 on penalties.
Final tournament Group A In group A, Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the semi-finals as group winners after winning all three of their matches. Suriname also advanced as runners-up after a 1–1 draw with Saint Kitts and Nevis in their final match.
Table
Results
Group B In group A, Cuba advanced to the semi-finals as group winners after a goalless draw against Haiti in their final match. Martinique also advanced as runners-up after defeating Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3–0 in their final match.
Table
Results
Knockout stage
Semi-finals Group winners Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba both advanced to the final after defeating Martinique and Suriname respectively.
Third-place play-off Martinique defeated Suriname on penalties to finish third.
Final Goals from Arnold Dwarika and Jerren Nixon helped Trinidad and Tobago defeat Cuba 2–0 to win the competition for the fifth time.
References