ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

The general secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association says the sudden resignation of its technical director would not hamper the country's preparations for this year's Caribbean championships.

Gordon 'Banks' Derrick says Tom Curtis' decision to quit as technical director and head coach of the national team would not disrupt the team's momentum to the Caribbean Cup final scheduled for Antigua in December.

England-born coach Curtis announced Monday that he was no longer in charge of the country's senior team and was leaving for his homeland.

"The guys are playing with their local clubs," said Derrick.

"But, obviously, when it is time to gather the team back together now and get them fine-tuned going into the tournament, we would have had to have had the coaching staff in place so they could take it from there."

Speculation over Curtis' future began early October 12 after Antigua's 2-1 loss to the United States, prevented them from advancing to the next stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying competition.

Antigua finished at the bottom of the table with just a single point.

"Even though we don't know who the new head coach would be as yet, when that person comes in he is going to find that a structure is there, players understanding their roles in different positions," the general secretary said.

"Once that person brings their philosophy, I am confident that the players would be able to adjust and continue playing and building on what they have learnt."

Host nation Antigua and Barbuda and two-time defending champions Jamaica, along with the top two teams from each second-round group, will advance to the Caribbean Cup finals December 3-16.

The top four teams will qualify for next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.