CUBAN ALVAREZ SCORES AGAINST CAYMAN ISLANDS IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER, 2000-03-06 (photo)

Cuba's Ariel Alvarez (14) fires a shot into the Cayman Islands goal to put his team ahead 2-0 in their Caribbean Zone, group one, World Cup qualifier in Havana March 5. The Cayman Islands, barred by FIFA from fielding British club players in their opening World Cup qualifier, crashed to a 4-0 defeat by their Caribbean neighbors Cuba Sunday in a scrappy, one-sided game. The tiny British dependent territory had hoped to bolster its World Cup qualifying chances by including seven British-based club players in the side to face Cuba in their Caribbean zone, group one, first leg tie in Havana. But a last minute ruling by FIFA, world soccer's governing body, blocked the British players from taking part and most of them did not even travel to the Cayman Islands' larger neighbor Cuba for Sunday's game. PF/SV