JFF acknowledges faults as Girlz slam Federation
Published:Friday | June 16, 2023 | 1:10 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) says it will be working hard to rectify the issues outlined by the national senior women’s team, which expressed “utmost disappointment” in the federation ahead of the Women’s World Cup next month.
In a statement posted on the social media profiles of several players yesterday, the team voiced displeasure regarding their preparations ranging from non-payment of contractually agreed upon compensation to complaints of subpar planning, transportation, accommodations, and training conditions. This is all while they are currently in camp in the final phase of their preparations for the World Cup.
Soon after, the JFF responded with a statement acknowledging their faults regarding what has transpired
“The Jamaica Football Federation has heard the concerns of the Reggae Girlz, and we are taking them seriously,” the statement read. “We acknowledge that things have not been done perfectly, and we are working assiduously to resolve them. “We will continue to support the team in every way possible so that they can be successful at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”
The Girlz stated that their questions regarding those issues have not been met as well as criticised the body for not getting games in recent months in the international windows.
“We were told that all our requests and concerns would be resolved in a timely manner. Unfortunately, that time has expired, and once again our questions go unanswered and our concerns unresolved,” the letter read. “In recent months, due to extreme disorganisation of camp logistics, we have missed several official FIFA friendly matches. This will undoubtedly impact our preparations for Australia. The Reggae Girlz consist of professionals and collegiate footballers who are spread across the world. To be left questioning whether a camp will even take place two or three days before the expected start is unprofessional and often unfairly prohibitive for some of our players.”
There were plans for the Reggae Girlz to play two friendly games later this month to prepare for the World Cup, however, head coach Lorne Donaldson said those plans did not materialise because of logistical difficulties.
According to the revised FIFA international women’s calendar for 2023-2025 (released last April), the team still has the remaining period of July 10-18 to have international friendlies before the July 20 start of the Women’s World Cup. The previous version (February 2021) had the June/July dates pending to align with the start of the release period for players. The Girlz had played in the two previously scheduled windows this year: the Cup of Nations tournament in February and the April friendly against Sheffield Wednesday in England. The latter camp was met with many issues. A game which was scheduled to be played against Cameroon was cancelled, and visa issues affected some players and backroom staff.
The Girlz ended the statement by demanding change from the JFF.
“We hope that by using our platforms to express the reality of our situation, our efforts will be reciprocated. We hope there will be “immediate and systematic change within the federation and those in charge of protecting the integrity of women’s football.”
The dispute is the latest between the team and the federation, the previous being in April 2022 when the Girlz demanded the resignation of then-head coach Vin Blaine. citing communication and leadership issues. In October 2019, they faced similar issues, threatening not to play in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers if they were not given their contractually obligated compensation from that summer’s 2019 Women’s World Cup.