Bailey to face JFF punishment

General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Dalton Wint says that his organisation will be taking strong actions against Reggae Boyz winger Leon Bailey, following his recent criticism of the federation and head coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore.

During a recent interview on Instagram, the 22-year-old Bailey said that the current squad of players is capable of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the only thing that can deny them that opportunity is the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

The Bayer Leverkusen player also said that there needs to be a core squad and a settled team in training, with only occasional minor adjustments, as he felt that there were too many new players each time a national team was assembled.

However, Wint told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday that Bailey’s comments were very unfortunate and misguided and, therefore, the federation would be meeting shortly to determine what kind of action would be taken against the player.

“What has been said by Leon is very unfortunate and goes against the protocols on which we expect our players to operate,” said Wint.

“You can’t be publicly criticising your coach or you administration without the possibilities of you being reprimanded, and so it is something that we are discussing internally as we move forward,” he said.

“What he (Bailey) said was very unfortunate, and it does not auger well for good relationship building for players or staff to openly criticise your employer,” Wint said.

He underlined that any player or staff member who publicly criticises the federation will face strong action from the local governing body for football.

“It is a cease-and-desist order because it is something that we will not be accommodating, and we are imploring everybody to stay in line and to be respectful, and if you have any difficulties or concerns, bring it to the right forum and it will be discussed, deliberated, and actions taken, and so don’t wash your dirty linen in public,” Wint said.

Bailey came on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Bayer Leverkusen in their 4-1 win over Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga yesterday.