Antonio in Jamaica ahead of Panama clash
Published:Thursday | September 2, 2021 | 12:08 AMAudley Boyd/Gleaner Writer -
Michail Antonio made his much anticipated touchdown in Jamaica, as he arrived for the Concacaf World Cup qualifying football competition on Wednesday afternoon.
He is expected to improve the Jamaica team with his qualities, particularly in goalscoring.
The powerful striker arrived in the island along with fellow European-based players Kemar Roofe and Daniel Johnson.
Interest around when the prolific and hard-to-contain West Ham striker would be arriving had been rising after the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on Monday announced his name in a 35-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers, which begins with a match against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City tonight at 9.
Antonio, who headlines the English Premier League’s goalscoring list in the early goings this season, numbers among at least 15 England-based players in the Jamaica squad.
Most of those players, including Antonio, will not participate in Jamaica’s matches in Central America, because the United Kingdom has placed them on its ‘red list’ due to the large numbers of COVID-19 cases in those countries. They will also not travel to Central America, but remain in Jamaica.
Given that situation, the players would be required to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine upon return to the United Kingdom before being eligible to rejoin their club. The clubs in England have openly stated their disapproval of that lengthy absence. Consequently, some players, including Antonio, will forego the away matches in Mexico tonight and Costa Rica later.
However, all will be available on Sunday when the Reggae Boyz, who travelled by charter to Mexico City, make a quick turnaround for the World Cup qualifier against Panama at the National Stadium.