Michael Ricketts

The 52-year-old, who has been head of the country’s national team since 2020, has faced resurfaced allegations that he attempted to force himself on a player in 2010, during his time as coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team.

Busby has denied the allegations in a previous report, but the Whitecaps did part ways with the coach sometime after the accusations surfaced.  The team, however, made no mention of allegations of sexual misconduct being the reason he was fired.

Major League Soccer announced that it would conduct investigations into how that situation was handled.  The JFF for its part has asked its parent body FIFA to conduct a full investigation into the incident, which will determine the next steps to be taken. 

“We will await the evidence of the FIFA investigation.  We do not want to make permanent decisions until we have the facts.  At the same time, we have to ensure that our women and girls are protected by those who lead them,” JFF president Michael Ricketts said via a press release.

Busby coached the team in two practice matches against Costa Rica and was expected to lead a camp later this month.

The Jamaican women will be hoping to qualify for a historic second consecutive World Cup.

Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts made the announcement during a virtual press conference this morning.

“I am pleased to announce that Jamaica’s Woman National Senior team will play two international friendlies in the United States as part of the US Soccer 2021 Women’s National Team Summer Series. On June 10, the Reggae Girlz will play Nigeria at 4:30 pm and on June 13, they will play World Champions and host, the United States at 9:15 pm,” Ricketts said.

Both games will be played at the BVVA Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Ricketts said that Portugal will also be involved in the series and like Jamaica will only play two matches while the USA and Nigeria will play three games.

The president said it is expected that of the other three teams, the USA and Nigeria are expected to provide stern tests for the Reggae Girlz, who have been inactive for more than a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As we know, the US team is the best in the world and Nigeria, currently ranked 38^th, is a historic powerhouse and the number-one team in Africa,” he said, adding that they have ensured that the players’ safety will be guaranteed.

“Our agreement ensures that the team will play in a highly-controlled environment under very safe Covid-19 protocols.”

In preparation for the four-team tournament, Ricketts said they are planning to have the players in a camp from June 4-8.

In addition, Ricketts said, the JFF intends to have more camps and international matches before the World Cup qualifiers begin in November.

Shaw won the women’s Footballer of the Year award with 80 per cent of the voters opting for either the Manchester City striker or Chelsea’s Lauren James. James finished runner-up with another Manchester City standout Alex Greenwood finishing third. Yui Hasegawa, Elisabeth Terland and Khiara Keating completed the top six.

In a release on Friday, Ricketts pointed out that the award spoke volumes of Shaw's impact on Manchester City's Women's Super League charge, as she has been a model of consistency since joining the Gareth Taylor-coached club in 2021. Her performances have placed Manchester City on the brink of securing their first WSL title since 2016.

“This award is a beautiful feather in her cap and a massive advertisement for Jamaica’s football,” Ricketts said.

“I am happy to see the consistency in quality shown by Khadija. She has always been a top player, but her standard has risen a notch this season. This augurs well for the national team in the future. We wish her all the best on the road to recovery,” he added.

Prior to Shaw sustaining a broken foot during her last Women’s Super League match against West Ham, the Reggae Girls captain scored 21 goals, which were complemented by three assists in 18 games this season.

Shaw is the third Jamaican-born individual to have won the award after John Barnes (1987-88, 1989-90) and Raheem Sterling in 2019.

However, she is the first national representative to receive the honour, as both Barnes and Sterling were England internationals when they earned the recognition.

The 56 delegates will come from three pillars and, according to Ricketts, the JFF held an emergency congress on Sunday to sanction the Pillar-Three delegates.

Ricketts explained that there are six entities associated with Pillar Three but of that six, only three were able to meet the requirements.

He put this down to misinterpretation of the federation’s new constitution.

“The new constitution and its articles seem to be causing a lot of issues because people are not interpreting the contents of the articles,” he told SportsMax.tv on Monday, explaining that this was also an issue at Sunday’s meeting.  “What happens now is that there are certain criteria based on the articles that entities must meet for them to qualify for voting at the congress. They were listed! Of all the applicants, three would’ve met all the requirements.”

The president says the JFF received applications from two different coaches associations, a former players association and the beach-football association.

One of the coaches associations, headed by former senior women’s coach Vin Blaine, was not considered as it has been defunct for some time.

“The coaches', where one Mr. Vin Blaine, who is not even domiciled in Jamaica, says that he heads a coaches association with four listed persons. One of those persons does not live here and one of those gentlemen said that he is not a part of the association which has gone defunct for years. They have not been operative,” Ricketts told SportsMax.tv on Monday.

The other association, comprising current active head coaches, met all the requirements and was approved.

“The other one is current and includes practicing coaches now like Merron Gordon, Andrew Peart, Rudolph Speid and Xavier Gilbert among others. They met all the requirements,” Ricketts added.

He went on to say that the former footballers' association also met the requirements and were approved but the Beach Football Association did not because of “serious misrepresentation” as Ricketts put it.

 “The directors for the Beach Football Association were not named, the members were. The directors are those that are listed at the Company’s Office. There were members who were asked to serve. There is a huge debate right now because of one particular gentleman. A member of KSAFA got up in the congress yesterday and said that gentleman has vehemently denied ever being a part of the directorship,” Ricketts explained.

“However, the gentleman sent an email to the JFF this morning (Monday) saying that he is, in fact, a member. So, as it is now, there was serious misrepresentation because the gentleman sent an email saying he is, in fact, a member of the board of directors for beach football. What has happened is because that was raised, I suggested that we defer sanctioning the Beach Football Association until we get clarification so the other two-the coaches association and the past players association-were accepted,” he added.

The remaining stakeholders who have not applied will have until some time in December to try and meet the requirements.

“There are others who we would’ve reached out to and have asked them to apply. So, there are now applications from ISSA, PFJL among others. The referees have some further documents to be submitted. In an effort to ensure that we get all the stakeholders on board, we have extended the period to sometime in December so that those entities who have not met the requirements have a chance to get themselves up in line with the requirements and to apply so we will again have to have another congress maybe just before the voting congress,” he said.

In conclusion, Ricketts lamented the publicizing of the ongoing situation and accused detractors of trying everything to discredit the current JFF Board of Directors.

 “We are publicizing the whole thing and, believe me, we’re making so many issues, making mountains out of molehills, all in the interest of politics," the JFF president said.

"It is just sad how people will do everything to discredit this board. We are not perfect and we make mistakes but, my God man, don’t just try and destroy something you are a part of. We try to be strong and try to be guided by the articles of the constitution and we’re just hoping that after the election, things will be normal and that we just move forward in an effort to grow the sport of football which ought to be our aim and ambition."

After Marley resigned from her role as Global Ambassador for Jamaica’s women’s football programme, the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation followed suit and announced its discontinuation of funding support to the JFF and the national women’s programme.

A statement signed by the Foundation’s General Counsel Lecia-Gaye Taylor and released on Thursday, said the decision was not made lightly given their “long and meaningful” partnership with the JFF over the years.

While Marley pointed to the current state of affairs involving the senior Reggae Girlz World Cup representatives and the JFF as reasons behind her departure, the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation said its move was to reassess its priorities.

“We have been privileged to witness the growth and development of women’s football in Jamaica, and we are proud of the achievements and progress that have been made during our collaboration.

“However, as circumstances change and our foundations evolves, we must reassess our priorities and the impact of our funding on various causes and organizations. In light of our revised focus and funding priorities, we have come to the conclusion that we can no longer continue our financial support of the JFF programme,” the statement read.

Like Marley, the Foundation expressed its commitment to the empowerment of girls and the development of women’s football in Jamaica and, as such, will continue its support under the Football is Freedom initiative.

Both Marley and the Foundation, have been instrumental benefactors to the country’s governing football body over the years and their absence have started to raise questions about how the JFF will fill that huge gap in its JFF’s coffers, a fact Ricketts is very much aware of.

“I am saddened by the unfortunate decision of Miss Marley to cut ties with the women's programme at this time. This is even more so as we are of the view that we had made significant progress in the discussions and are just awaiting the World Cup players to come back to us and advise of their availability. We must thank Miss Marley and the Bob Marley Foundation for all the support that they have given over time. We want to assure her that the gains that have been made will be concretised as we move into the future,” Ricketts said in a release.

“We are happy that she [Marley] will continue to lend support to local women's football through the "Football is Freedom" initiative and are eager to offer any support that might be requested. The JFF no doubt will always welcome the contribution of Miss Marley as we continue to develop women's football and provide a path for the young girls in Jamaica,” he ended.

In fact, both underscored the importance of sustained development to ensure the team’s continued success as they progress toward higher levels of competition, including a possible FIFA Under-17 World Cup qualification.

The Andrew Peart-coached young Reggae Boyz clinched the CFU title with a 7-1 hammering of French Guiana in the final in what was an exceptional display of talent and cohesiveness throughout the tournament hosted in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, both Ricketts and Chung recognize that winning this title—the first for the country in a while—is just the beginning. The challenge now is to maintain the momentum, ensuring these players are nurtured and developed as they transition to the Under-17 level and beyond.

“Congratulations, coach Peart. You have shown the highest level of commitment to this program, and we want to assure you that the JFF will give you as much support as we can to ensure that there is some longevity, there is major productivity, and that the process will continue leading up to our Under-17 qualification for the World Cup,” Ricketts declared during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Ricketts spoke passionately about plotting a strategic approach for player development and, by extension, the need to keep players active and together as they transition to the next level.

“When you participate in a competition with 23 teams and you come out scoring 25 goals and conceding two, it is indeed impressive. This is something that will put us in a situation where we will now have to put in place a contingency plan to ensure that all of our teams, from 14 up to 17, are, of course, in training so that we can all make that transition from 14 to 15, 15 to 16, and 16 to 17.

“That certainly will present a huge challenge, but just like how we were able to be successful in our journey just completed, I think we can achieve success at other levels,” Ricketts reasoned.

“What we really need is for private sector, the government, and, of course, our parent organizations to come on board because we want to certainly qualify for the Under-17 World Cup next year and we want to run up a sequence of qualifications. But we must have an organized plan in place to ensure that the U-14s make the transition, likewise, U-15 and U-16, so that every year we can participate in this global tournament,” he added as he alluded to the support provided by FIFA for the U-14 campaign through its Talent Development Scheme (TDS) program.

Chung also highlighted the importance of continuity, as he pointed out to the fact that Jamaica’s winning team was made up solely of local-based players.

“Nobody came from overseas, which shows that we have the talent here. If we put the infrastructure in place to hold everyone together, then we could be producing the world class footballers, just like athletics now locally is producing the world-class athletic stars. That's our intent to the program,” Chung stated.

He stressed that the focus should be targeted on ensuring these players continue to build together as a unit and strengthen their chances for future successes.

“Everything that you see here is based on strategic decisions that have been taken, the work that we've been doing to grow things incrementally and have cumulative benefits. We want to ensure that this Under-14 team is the one that goes on, after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, that will qualify also for the 2030 World Cup and continue that going forward. This success doesn't come just overnight; this is something that is coming from a seed that was planted just over a year ago,” Chung explained.

Meanwhile, Peart believes that with dedicated leadership and a clear roadmap, the future looks bright for the young Reggae Boyz, as their performances are not to be taken lightly.

“The quality of opposition we played against was really at a good level for Under-15s. When you look at Trinidad and Tobago or Puerto Rico, with an influx of diaspora players from the United States, and Aruba, who had players coming down from the Netherlands, the quality was really good,” Peart declared.

Ricketts believes the Girlz have not been shown enough appreciation for their historic accomplishment of qualifying for a second-consecutive World Cup but says KFC's support represents a step in the right direction and another example which he hopes other corporate companies will follow.

The one-year partnership will see KFC pumping $6 million in cash and another $1 million in products to the Reggae Girlz, who are currently in camp putting the final pieces in place ahead of the July 20 to August 20 showpiece, in Australia and New Zealand.

"We need to show far more appreciation to our Girlz and when you think of the struggles some of these players went through, the sacrifice and commitment to get a country like ours to two global tournaments consecutively, it is no ordinary achievement," Ricketts said during a press conference at JFF’s St Lucia Avenue base on Wednesday.

"So, I must recognize Mr. [Andrei] Roper and KFC for coming on board to partner with the JFF to ensure that we improve the quality of life for all these girls that constantly and consistently make us so very proud. This is something that we can gloat about and hopefully this really sends a strong signal to Jamaica as it relates to the positive and social impact that these two qualifications have on our little boys and girls," he added.

While most of their focus is currently on the World Cup, Ricketts said the Olympic Games Qualifiers against Canada in September, as well as the women's Nations League and Gold Cup, has not been lost on them, hence is call for more support.

But beyond that and despite the financial constraints, the president pointed out that his administration is intent on getting things right going forward, particularly where developing the country's football from the grassroots is concerned.

By virtue of the Girlz qualification, the JFF is assured of just over US$1.5 million from FIFA, but that figure could increase if the team goes beyond the group stage. The Girlz are drawn in Group F alongside France, Brazil and Panama.

"We are just intent on ensuring that the whole psyche of our little boys and girls are positively impacted. We struggle to meet our footballing demands when you think that we have 12 teams, six on either side of the gender, that we must take care of, it is challenging, but we are managing.

"So, I want to again mention our sponsors we had Courts last week and now KFC joining the Marley Foundation and others, but we need other corporate entities to come on board as we try to impact the social needs of the boys and girls that are interested in playing the sport," Ricketts shared.

"We must put programmes in place, and we are intent on getting a proper grassroots programme. We have a committee which is responsible for talent identification, grassroots and development, so this committee will be very active in identifying grassroots kids and having them properly harnessed and then get them in a formal setting so we can then make the transition from little kids to high school players and then inevitably, national players," the president noted.

Meanwhile, ROJ’s Brand Manager Andrei Roper explained that this partnership with the senior Reggae Girlz is an extension of that with captain and prolific goal scorer, Khadija "Bunny" Shaw.

The 26-year-old Manchester City striker, who is not in the current camp, is expected to join up with the final squad when they head to Amsterdam for a pre-tournament camp before heading to Australia.

"We really wanted to help to make the Reggae Girlz journey to the World Cup that much easier, theirs is a tremendous achievement and I don't think we fully appreciate as a nation what a huge achievement it is. They are true ambassadors for Jamaica, not just for women's sport but for brand Jamaica on a whole, so for us at KFC we pride ourselves on giving back... just supporting all those pillars of society that really represent everything positive about Jamaica," Roper affirmed.

"Women's football is an area where we did see an opportunity to really give a bit more as a brand. Last year, we started a partnership with Khadija Shaw as our big deal ambassador, so this is just a fitting extension of our relationship with Khadija, who is the face of women's football and so we are broadening our scope and partnership to the wider Reggae Girlz programme.

"So, we just want to say thanks and just to help make their preparations a bit easier because we know it’s going to be a tough group and so we want to just really make the last lap going Down Under that much easier. So great partnership for us and we are glad to be on board," he stated.

Carvel Stewart, Vice Chairman of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) made the announcement on Thursday, after securing the approval of Michael Ricketts, President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

The decision to suspend matches was also in keeping with Wednesday night’s request by Prime Minister Andrew Holness that there not be large gatherings in a bid to limit the spread of the deadly virus.

Two Jamaicans have tested positive for the virus and seven are in isolation.

“In accordance with the government’s announcement last night and after a fairly short meeting this morning, it was decided that the matches for today and the weekend would be postponed to observe the government’s wishes that we don’t have large crowds attending,” said Stewart.

“We have not yet decided on the further involvement of the teams and we will be meeting next week again to determine if we go as of the next round or if there are further delays.”

The suspension of the RSPL comes on the heels of the news of the cancellation of the 110-year-old Boys and Girls Championships that were scheduled to be held at the end of March. Also, the finals of the Digicel Grand Prix have also been cancelled over concerns over the spread of the virus, whose spread has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic.

More than 121, 000 people have been infected by the virus with more than 4000 dying as a result.

In recent days, the NBA, La Liga and Serie A have suspended play until further notice as the virus continues to spread unabated across the globe.

Chung’s assertions came as he provided the latest update of the governing football body’s finances, delivering on a promise to increase transparency and accountability at an organisation plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

“I've been here for a few months now, so I think it's timely to give an update as to where we are, what challenges we are still faced with and what progress has been made in relation to some of the things that I committed to at the start of my tenure here because I think that accountability is very important,” Chung told journalists during a press conference at the JFF’s St Lucia Avenue base.

On that note, Chung, revealed that the JFF finances, for the first time in a long time, reflected an $11 million surplus at the end of July, which he believes is testament to progress made.

“When we come in November one of the things, I said is that we need to recognize that changing and developing our product doesn't happen overnight, we're going to have hiccups. We've had some hiccups, but what we have attempted to do, which I think we have been successful in some respects, is to fix the brand,” Chung shared.

“You can’t drive the car until the car is fixed. The engine has to be fixed and, therefore, over the past few months we’ve been looking at the strategies for fixing the product because you can’t sell a product unless it’s fixed. So, recently, we’ve been getting in sponsors and the reason why we’ve been able to get sponsors is because we fixed the product that’s there,” he added.

That said, Chung addressed two widely circulated issues that he said were a misrepresentation of the facts aimed at condemning the Michael Ricketts-led administration. One of those issues involves a $107 million debt to the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), while the other surrounds another $30 million missing from the JFF coffers.

“The JFF unlike many organisations, have a Tax Compliant Certificate and we not only got it, but we updated and renewed it. That $107 million owed to TAJ is related to penalties and interest coming from as far back as before 2017.

“Last year we went into negotiations with the tax authority, and we paid off all the principals outstanding. The discussion at the time was, ‘show us that you’re keeping up to date with your payments’, which we did, and then by March we were able to apply for a write-off of the penalties and interest,” Chung, who is also an accountant explained.

He continued: “The other thing I saw people saying that $30 million is missing that was classified as miscellaneous, but that $30 million came up because when the audit was done, and the issue was that $30 million was not classified properly to the line item.

“I am an accountant, I know that many companies have that issue with their auditors, so we reclassified it and everything was classified successfully and we got the audit issued by the auditors. So that implication that there is money missing, there is no money missing, it was just how it was accounted for and then it was classified, so for me, where we are coming from is significant in terms of the accomplishment.

Finally, Chung is cognizant that they still have much more to do to achieve the level of comfort where trust in the JFF and, by extension, sustainable development of the country’s football is concerned.

“We would not have got the sponsorships if we did not fix the product. Now we are not at the level that we want yet, because we still have not finished fixing the product. But we've gone a far away in making inroads,” the general secretary ended.

Ricketts has been returned to the presidency of the Jamaica Football Federation following elections held in Negril, Hanover on Sunday.

He defeated challenger Raymond Anderson 39-17 in the vote count that was completed at the Royalton Resort in Negril, shortly before 5 pm Sunday.

Ricketts, who has been president since 2017, will now serve a second full term at the helm, after riding out the buffeting winds of controversy most of which centered around the fallout between Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz and the administration over alleged unpaid fees and general disrespect.

Minister Grange said, “I anticipate an early meeting with the new administration to hear of the plans for the Federation going forward.”

“I believe differences should be put aside and that the focus should be on what is best in the interest of the further progress of Jamaica’s football, in both the men and women’s game. The mantra should be renewal, recommitment and repair. Let us all work together, there is much more still to be done.”

JFF president Michael Ricketts expressed great optimism about the appointment.

“We are truly elated to announce the appointment of Mr. McClaren as Head Coach of the Reggae Boyz. We are confident we made the right decision, and we are looking forward to him guiding our nation towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Ricketts said.

McClaren also expressed great excitement of taking charge of the Reggae Boyz.

“I am extremely proud and excited to take up the position of Head coach for The Jamaica Men’s National Team. I had no hesitation in accepting a position that is ideally suited to me at this stage of my career,” McClaren noted.

“Prior to returning to Manchester United for a second spell, I spent time at FIFA as a Technical Advisor on their Global Eco Analysis project. Jamaica was one of the teams I worked with and I quickly came to realize the potential the country possessed. In the years since, that potential has grown significantly and there is every reason to believe that with continued hard work and development a bright future lies ahead,” he added.

McClaren's coaching career includes significant achievements with Manchester United, the England National team, and clubs like Middlesbrough F.C. and FC Twente.

The Reggae Boyz will commence their campaign in the 2024/2025 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League on September 6 against Cuba at the National Stadium.

This Nations League cycle will also serve as a qualifier for the 2025 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Further details about McClaren's first press conference will be announced later.

With one day left before the deadline to sign contracts for the upcoming campaigns, the JFF and representatives of some national players remain far apart on wage demands.  The JFF has submitted a final offer of US$2,000 (300,255.80) per match, per player for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, the players have, however, requested US$7,000 ($1,050,895.30).

According to Ricketts, however, the offer made by the JFF is grounded in the reality of what the federation can afford and as a result, is unlikely to be adjusted.

“We are still waiting and hoping for an amicable settlement.  I do hope that the players will be reasonable and balanced in whatever they decide to do.  I hope that they will agree to something that is manageable,” Ricketts told TVJ Sports.

“The committee has been having talks in recent times with the lawyer who represents some of the players.  How many of the players he legitimately and legally represents we are not sure but we want to ensure that we do have a relationship with our players,” he added.

The JFF president, however, warned that some players run the risk of being left out of the program if no agreement can be reached in time.

“I want to say that if a player insists that he is not signing for what we can afford to pay, then we are not going to hold anything against that player or particular players but the show has to go on, and if there are players willing to play and some who are not willing to play then we will have to go with those who are willing to play,” Ricketts said.

The workshop begins on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, and ends on Friday, October 8, with a closing session and Press Conference at midday.

UEFA’s key aims are to share knowledge and best practices to help UEFA’s sister confederations and their member associations develop and strengthen football within their respective territories as well as to respond to the needs of national associations and confederations around the world while increasing solidarity and facilitating football development globally.

The intensive programme will cover a wide range of topics on best practices in the modern league across several topics aimed at further developing the Clubs of the Jamaica Premier League.

"The clubs represent the main cornerstone for the development of football in Jamaica. We have come a long way in club development over the years but there is still a mountain to climb if we are to get to our destination,” said JFF President Michael Ricketts.

“This workshop will help to bridge the knowledge gap and introduce our clubs to best practices and methods in today's game. The JFF welcomes the assistance of both CONCACAF and UEFA and I implore the participants to capture as much knowledge as is possible.”

The capacity-building sessions are only a part of an overall League Development Programme and follow similar sessions conducted online last year for the JFF and with the participation of the then recently-established Professional Football Jamaica Limited, PFJL.

This week, the sessions are being delivered directly and in person with international experts to the clubs of the Jamaica Premier League, including the clubs for the 12th spot.

“Building the capacity of the Jamaica Premier League clubs is a vital step in the UEFA Assist League Development Programme. Strengthening their knowledge in key areas like income generation, governance and financial management will prove invaluable to ensuring the clubs remain sustainable over the long-term,” said Eva Pasquier, UEFA Head of International Relations.

“We are delighted to support this important initiative and help grow Jamaican football.”

Meanwhile, Howard McIntosh, ONE Caribbean Project Senior Manager at CONCACAF believes that strengthening the clubs’ capacity augurs well for regional football.

"Clubs are the heartbeat of football. Developing the clubs in Jamaica and the region is part of our commitment to improving the game in Concacaf. This is even more critical with the professional game,” he said.

“We remain committed to supporting our member associations and the clubs in our region. This workshop is one small demonstration of our continued support. I would encourage all the Clubs to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn about best practices in the professional game."

SportsMax.tv understands that members of the JFF board had a meeting where a vote was taken to relieve Donaldson of his duties stemming from an issue where he told the governing football body's chairperson for women’s football Elaine Walker-Brown, not to board the team bus for a recent excursion to Dunn’s River Falls.

However, sources close to the situation revealed that Donaldson was merely relaying the message of the players, who threatened to walk off the bus if Walker-Brown boarded, as it was "not a JFF thing". This was in reference to the fact that the excursion was largely paid for by minister of sport Olivia "Babsy" Grange and Reggae Girlz ambassador Cedella Marley.

In a bid to avoid a standoff and a possible embarrassing situation in full view of an overseas crew filming a documentary, it is said that Donaldson met Walker-Brown on the way to the bus to share the players' mental and physical discomfort at her presence. This did not sit well with Walker-Brown and since then, the coach has been in the firing line.

While not confirming that as the reason for discussions regarding Donaldson, Ricketts expressed displeasure with "certain utterances", but said dismissing the coach was no longer on the cards.

"The truth is, we are unhappy with certain utterances, but that is not on the cards right now, we are just waiting on reports from the general secretary and the technical committee," Ricketts told SportsMax.tv during a sendoff event for the Girlz on Tuesday.

"The technical committee would have had a meeting with him [Donaldson], in fact, he was supposed to have had another meeting today (Tuesday) that fell through. Even though we are dissatisfied with certain utterances and pronouncements, the technical committee will make a recommendation to the JFF and then I think the board will act on that," he added.

When pressed further about the reason and timing of any actions to be taken, more so, the firing of the coach with the World Cup now less than a month away, Ricketts agreed that it would negatively impact progress.

Donaldson was expected to name the final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 showpiece, in Australia and New Zealand, in the coming week, but it is now left to be seen if he will still be calling the shots after the melee.

"I don't know what the thoughts would be generally, but that (firing of a coach before a tournament) has happened all over the world before. I would want to think that it would have negative implications but the truth is, that has happened before. But we will just wait and see," Ricketts shared.

When approached, Donaldson declined to comment, stating only that he will wait to see how things play out, as he was more focused on the players' wellbeing.

This issue has now added to what has been a lengthy stand-off between the Reggae Girlz and the JFF, primarily due to a lack of compensation. In fact, the Girlz in a recent letter expressed “utmost disappointment” with the handling of their affairs by the JFF.

Among the areas of concerns outlined by the Girlz are subpar planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition and accessibility to proper resources.

They said, despite sharing their concerns with the federation “on multiple occasions” the issues remain unresolved, and they believe the lack of interest by those in charge, threaten the integrity of women’s football in Jamaica.

This was further compounded by what is said to have been a brewing issue between Marley and Walker-Brown, as it is understood that the latter made comments which were deemed offensive by the Girlz ambassador during a previous virtual meeting with the JFF hierarchy.

It is also understood that this played a part in why the Girlz refused to have Walker-Brown on the excursion.

But Ricketts pointed out that following a meeting with representatives from the team, all parties have since agreed to a truce.

“The general secretary and myself had a meeting with the players this (Tuesday) morning and it went well, of course the contentious issue is always payments and the JFF continues to struggle. We are finding some traction because we were able to get some new sponsors on board, but we owe the Girlz some money and that seem to be the main bone of contention right now,” Ricketts explained.

“There are some other smaller issues that can be corrected easily but the good thing is that they all came out of that meeting in good spirits.  Elaine [Walker-Brown] had a meeting with them afterwards and that seemed to have gone down well too.

“So we are just hoping that the goodwill now, will translate on the field of play and they will be able to execute and win some games. The coach said he believes he has a much stronger unit and, of course, we are hoping that we will not just participate but be competitive at the World Cup,” he ended.