JFF gets green light for Reggae Boyz camp

Minister of Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange says approval has now been given to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for the staging of training camps for the Reggae Boyz ahead of their friendly international match against the United States.

Last month, the Ministry of Sport ordered the immediate shut-down of the training camp being hosted by the JFF at the University of The West Indies (UWI)/JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at UWI, Mona Campus.

However, having received a letter from JFF President Michael Ricketts, Grange told The Gleaner that the ministry, in conjunction with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and Ministry of Health and Wellness, granted the federation permission for the staging of the camp this week.

“Approval has been given for the Reggae Boyz to start camp immediately and to prepare for the friendly that they will be engaging against the United States on March 25 in Austria,” said Grange.

"I am feeling very delighted that the Ministry of Sport and the JFF have a clear understanding as to what the protocols are and that the protocols are to be followed and how the protocols must be followed,” she said. “We have passed this hurdle and we are moving in a more coordinative direction."

Grange underscored that sanitisation work on the facility is now being done and all the players will have to be tested before they enter the facility.

“They are doing a lot of preparatory work now at the facility and so they are likely to go into camp either Monday evening or Tuesday morning based on the testing of each player and what needs to happen before they go into camp,” Grange said.