Play your part

Chairman of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), Christopher Williams, is appealing to the football fraternity and local fans of the sport to adhere to the Government’s COVID-19 protocols. This, as his organisation gets set to meet to decide on the future of this season’s Jamaica Premier League (JPL) competition in two weeks’ time.

Williams told The Gleaner that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the island is of great concern for his organisation, which will be meeting on March 23 to determine whether or not the conditions were available to contest the league and determine the way forward for the nation’s top-flight competition.

“We have to take some actions to ensure that the meeting on the 23rd is positive,” said Williams. “What I want to focus on now is the high positivity rate that is confronting us, and I am requesting all football-loving people to follow the protocols, because right now, that is the most pressing thing on our minds.”

Jamaica on Tuesday reported 808 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the overall tally to 28,273.

The country yesterday began its vaccination programme, with healthcare workers and seniors among the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

RESPECT THE DISEASE

Williams accepted that there is a correlation between the country’s ability to control the spread of the disease and the likelihood of the league returning.

“When we get to the 23rd, then we will speak about the 23rd, but in order to have a positive result on the 23rd, we need people to respect the disease and follow the protocols and make sure that we can bring this positivity rate down,” Williams stated.

The 2019-2020 season of the JPL was ruled null and void in May of last year because of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and since then, there has been no football competitions in Jamaica.

There were plans to resume the league in November 2020 with an alternative date set for December 2020. However, the Jamaica Football Federation’s failed to get approval from the Jamaica Government after its submitted protocols were rejected.

While underlining the effect of the sport’s absence on the development of the game in Jamaica and the livelihood of its stakeholders, Williams pointed out that it was important that members of the public, particularly those close to the sport, recognise that they have a role to play in helping to bring back the competitive sports in the country, by being responsible citizens and respecting the safety guidelines.

“It is clear that not just us, but the whole country is desperate for some football right now,” Williams said.

“However, we do want a balance between life and livelihood, but right now the balance is towards protecting lives, and so we respect that and we are asking that the attention at this time is put on protecting lives by following the protocols and respecting the disease,” Williams said.

robert.bailey@gleanerjm.com