‘Begging for trouble’

Harbour View FC head coach Ludlow Bernard has warned the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) that unless there is a clearly defined transfer window ahead of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), many clubs will encounter problems.

This season of the JPL will run from June 26 to September 26. It will consist of one preliminary round (11 games for all 12 teams), with additional matches for those places seventh to 12th to determine final placings, and for those placed third through six to determine two play-off places. Those who finish first and second automatically qualify for the semi-finals.

The new timeline for the season would mean that games would be played during the summer transfer window (June to August), the period where clubs conduct transfers before the start of a new campaign.

No domestic football has been played for 14 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league has had several delays in restarting from late last year because of no government approval.

NEW FORMAT

Bernard said no transfer window prior to the start of the season would present challenges because of the new format for this season.

“A lot of teams are suffering from a loss of players,” he said. “When the squads are reduced and [if] there isn’t any possibility of transferring players, then you have a significantly reduced squad. And if you are asking the squad to be burdened by all of these games within a 12-week window with a four- to five-week preparation time, you are begging for trouble.”

But JFF Competitions Chairman Gregory Daley says that they are evaluating how the summer transfer window will be conducted ahead of the season.

Daley said that a meeting is scheduled to be held early next week to address the matter, but noted that the shortened competition would make it challenging for a window to be conducted as normal.

“With the league set to start the 26th of June, and end in September, it would be difficult to open a window the entire way. It’s something that we are looking into deeply right now. There is no final say on it as yet,” Daley said.

FIFA released its COVID-19 Regulatory Football Issues document in April 2020. It gave guidance regarding how to operate under the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), which include the transfer window, in the current climate. The proposals approved were that member associations were permitted to “amend season dates and/or registration periods either within the Transfer Matching System (an online platform to record transfers) or by otherwise notifying FIFA”. Additionally, article 5.1, paragraph one of the RSTP Annex three said that prior to a registration period, the starting dates can be modified under “exceptional circumstances”.

While he said that the JFF would not want to disclose all options ahead of the meeting next week, Daley said that changes could be made to give clubs the time to boost their squads.

“We have to be careful, and we have to have some more consultations and decisions coming for next week,” Daley said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com