Hope for U15s – Wint

According to General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Dalton Wint, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Jamaica’s under-15 team, which is at risk to miss the Concacaf Under-15 Championship because of visa issues.

The squad, which was supposed to travel to Florida for the tournament (August 4-11), has had their plans turned upside down, after the federation failed to secure early appointment dates for the Young Reggae Boyz, and a large portion of the squad does not hold a US visa.

However, Wint revealed to The Gleaner that they have sought the assistance of the regional governing body, Concacaf, and are hoping to secure the appointments for today.

“There is still light at the end of the tunnel. We, along with Concacaf, are working to see if we can get a resolution by Monday (today), so there is a chance of them making it. We have gotten them (Concacaf) involved to see how best they can get the appointments to move up to Monday,” Wint said.

Only five players currently hold US visas, and Wint is cautiously optimistic the other players will be granted their visas so the team can make the trip. However, he argued that holidays caught them off guard, and hence the reason for booking the appointments late.

Enough time

“Normally, we would have had enough time because of our relationship with the embassy, but this time around, because of the holidays, the time did not seem to be adequate for the appointment date,” he said.

Jamaica were down to play in Group D with Costa Rica, Barbados and Portugal, and Wint says they will miss out on valuable experience and exposure if they are absent.

“It would do a world of good because these are the youngsters that are preparing for the next under-15 qualifiers, so any international exposure we can offer them will auger well for their development,” said Wint.

– L.S.