Busby suspension ‘correct decision’

FORMER NATIONAL senior women’s football coach, Charles Edwards, and general manager of Harbour View Football Club, Clyde Jureidini, said they are in full support of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) decision to suspend Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr indefinitely, over sexual misconduct allegations in the United States.

The 52-year-old Busby Jr, who is based in the United States, has been accused of sexual misconduct by former Vancouver Whitecaps player, Malloree Enoch, while he was head coach of the club between 2010 and 2011. However, Busby has since denied the allegations.

The JFF said it has since written to FIFA requesting a full investigation, and that it will not make its decision to suspend Busby permanent until it has all the facts.

“I think it is the correct decision and I am in total agreement with the JFF right now,” said Charles.

“It is a very delicate issue and it is an issue women in the world in sports and companies have been facing. It has to be dealt with very properly and, therefore, until you have facts that he is not guilty, you have to pull him from the forefront so as to protect the team and also stand in alignment with the FIFA regulations,” Charles said.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS

Charles further pointed out that the allegations against Busby Jr cannot be taken lightly and, therefore, this must serve as a warning to other female coaches out there that they must do their part to protect young ladies from any kind of abuse in the sport.

“I am a serious advocate about these situations and it puts a lot of us male coaches in the female sport under a lot of scrutiny and pressure and, therefore, absolutely, in no way I will support what happens,” he said.

“Hopefully, a lot of the male coaches in this sport will understand, based on what I have been preaching over the years, that we should be mentors, father figures for these players or athletes and not abuse them,” Charles stated.

Jureidini said the JFF decision to move Busby Jr indefinitely from the position was the correct decision, because it will allow the investigation to go through smoothly.

“I don’t think it was hasty. There is an investigation in progress and so I think it would be prudent for them to temporarily suspend him, and I think it will allow the process to continue,” said Jureidini.

“I think the JFF and he, as the person in charge of the technical leadership, would have to plan and go forward, and I think we would all agree that you could not prepare a Reggae Girlz team with the leader under investigation,” he said.

Jureidini cautioned that the firing of Busby Jr at this time would not have been the right decision, because a person is innocent until proven guilty.

“I don’t think that you can fire anyone until you can prove that the person is guilty. You have to assume and presume innocence and allow the process and principles to be ventilated and explored totally,” said Jureidini.

Busby Jr was appointed head coach of the Reggae Girlz in 2020, after former head coach, Hue Menzies, and his deputy, Lorne Donaldson, resigned two months after the national team’s historic participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019.