KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Minister of Sport Olivia Grange said he was working to try to mend the relationship between the Jamaica Football Federation and members of the senior women’s national team.
All of the members of the team, nicknamed “the Reggae Girlz”, who played at the Fifa Women’s World Cup this past July-August in Australia and New Zealand, and in the Olympic qualifiers in September, announced on Saturday a decision to withdraw from two Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup qualifiers tomorrow and Sunday because of “constant mistreatment” from the JFF.
The players indicated in a social media post that they have not received “full and correct” payment for their World Cup performance or bonuses for qualifying for the tournament, and they were only officially informed about the change of support staff three days before they were to report for duty.
Grange said in a statement on Monday she was concerned about the rift between the players and the JFF, and she was trying to help them resolve the issues that they face.
“As Minister, I have been careful not to say or do anything that could be seen as political interference in Jamaica’s football programme,” she said. “However, like any other fan, I have been concerned about the relationship between the JFF and members of the Reggae Girlz squad.
“I have been in dialogue with both sides in an attempt to bring them together and will continue to do my utmost to facilitate an amicable resolution in the interest of Jamaica.”
According to a statement from the JFF, the protesting players were written individually and advised that they were suspended from consideration for national selection indefinitely until the two sides could work through the grievance procedures as outlined in the players’ contracts.
“We will work to ensure that we go through the contractual grievance procedure, so that we can have final resolution (with respect to) the issues raised,” the JFF statement indicated. “The JFF always wants to resolve any issues with our stakeholders for a win-win solution.
“We want to again mention that we are grateful for the contribution that has been made to the national women’s programme, and as is evidenced by the amount it has cost the JFF, and our follow-through to pay off all outstanding amounts to the players, this shows the commitment that the JFF has to the programme.”
A depleted Reggae Girlz squad travelled to face hosts Panama today before they return home to tackle Guatemala on Sunday.
