Town look set to turn down a request from Trinidad and Tobago for the release of skipper Carlos Edwards for the Digicel Caribbean Football Union Cup next month. The eight-team tournament in Antigua runs from December 7th-16th, outside FIFA’s designated international weeks having originally been scheduled for June and July.
Joining the Soca Warriors for the competition would see Edwards miss Town’s home fixture with Millwall and the game at Leeds, something Mick McCarthy would seem hugely unlikely to allow.
Trinidad and Tobago face Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda and the Dominican Republic in the group stages of the tournament with four teams ultimately qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Town recently turned down a request for Edwards to play in qualifying games for the competition, although coach Hutson Charles claims this was down to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation contacting the Blues too close to the games: "We sent the request to Ipswich late the last time out, but in fact as we speak now we are sending out the letters to the clubs of the players and we expect to get replies with the next week.”
However, two of those three games also clashed with domestic fixtures and were outside FIFA’s window and Town almost certainly wouldn’t have released Edwards however soon they had been contacted.
The 34-year-old, who has recently switched back to right midfield from right-back with Town, has been capped 82 times by his country, scoring four goals.
Meanwhile, academy schoolboy Cemal Ramadan is in action for the Republic of Ireland U16s in their second friendly against Estonia in Dublin this morning. On Tuesday the Blues striker scored both goals in a 2-0 Irish victory.