‘End of the story for me’

REGGAE BOYZ head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says that his coaching staff, in reality, put forward a 23-man coaching squad for the Copa America football tournament, with an additional three creating some unnecessary controversy.

According to Hallgrimsson, the Reggae Boyz were comfortable fielding a 23-man squad, but that Conmebol allows for 26.

That change, he said, opened the door for a further three players to be added.

Amari’i Bell, Reggae Boyz captain, Andre Blake, and Leon Bailey were those additions.

Bell and Blake, Hallgrimsson called longshots because of the nature of their injuries, but believe they will add value even if they cannot play.

Bailey’s inclusion in the squad, though, brought with it some controversy, as the player responded to the announcement on social media, calling the release ‘misleading’.

Craig Butler, Bailey’s manager, responded to the announcement by saying Bailey’s position on taking a break to be with family and to take care of his mental health had not changed.

“In this case, he (Bailey) decided not to play for Jamaica. That’s his decision and that’s every player’s right to refuse to play for their nation. He opted to do that and that’s the end of the story for me, absolutely end of story. Now, I would just want everyone to focus on those players who want to play for Jamaica and let’s put our support and focus on those players,” said Hallgrimsson yesterday.

The confusion over the position of Bailey in the squad was further explained by Jamaica Football Federation general secretary Dennis Chung.

Speaking on HITZ92FM, Chung said Bailey was included in the squad after a conversation between Hallgrimsson and Butler.

“The coach called me and said, ‘I just had a conversation with Craig.’ So I said, ‘how did it go?’ and the coach said Leon would be available for the second and third game because he had a commitment prior to that,” said Chung.

“The coach said he’ll add some value and I then said, ‘Well, that’s your decision and you know what’s best for the team’,” said Chung.

Later, Chung said he spoke to Butler, who wanted to clarify some matters with him.

Chung revealed that Butler asked for a single room for Bailey, to which he acquiesced, given how long the Copa tournament would be on for.

But, according to Chung, there were sticking points when it came to travelling business class for extended flights and for personal security.

“The second thing he (Craig Butler) said to me was ‘what about security for Bailey?’ I said ‘as far as I know, Conmebol will provide a security officer, but if Bailey wants, he can carry his own personal security. But we can’t provide individual security for each player’,” said Chung.

According to Chung, it is likely that Hallgrimsson was unaware that the sticking points in the conversation with Butler had not been ironed out.

With the Reggae Boyz playing their opening game of the tournament in eight days against Mexico, Hallgrimsson said the squad boasts a group of players that has represented the country well over the last year and a half.

“There aren’t many surprises in the selection, as it’s the players we’ve been playing for the last year and a half. It’s a group of players that has done pretty well for Jamaica,” he said.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com