The 24-year-old forward recently secured a move to Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow after spending two years at Belgian club Charleroi. The move will represent a step up for the Jamaican player, with the Russian club routinely taking part in Europe’s top competitions.
Football in Russia has, however, been plagued by controversy in recent years with fans often known to direct racist and xenophobic chants towards players of different races who represent various clubs. The issue had become so prominent in recent years that there was a campaign to address the issue ahead of the country's hosting of the 2016 World Cup.
However, according to Nicholson’s agent Kevin Cowan. Issues pertaining to racism impact players everywhere.
"There is racism everywhere," Cowan told Voetbalkrant.com.
“That shouldn't be a factor. Shouldn't all players be playing in Italy or Russia otherwise?"
"Spartak came and wanted Shamar, then we are not concerned with possible racism. In the long run, he wants to go to an absolute top competition, but this is a nice step and a very nice club."
Nicholson, who recently completed a move from Belgian Pro League team Charleroi to Russian Premier League outfit Spartak Moscow, scored three goals in 11 appearances for the Reggae Boyz in 2021.
The former Boy’s Town attacker has been in sensational form this season scoring 13 goals in 18 games for Charleroi before making the move to Spartak.
Swaby, who captained the Reggae Girlz for the first time this year, was part of a Roma team that won their first major Women’s trophy in May by defeating AC Milan on penalties in the Copa Italia final after keeping a clean sheet.
On December 21, it was announced that Swaby would be joining National Women’s Soccer League expansion team Angel City FC following the completion of the Supercoppa Italiana this January.
Nicholson will miss the Reggae Boyz January 20, friendly with Peru in Lima but could next be in action for the Boyz on January 27 when they play Mexico in a World Cup Qualifying fixture, while Swaby's Reggae Girlz will next see action in the CONCACAF Women's Championship beginning on February 17.
With the JFF and some national representatives yet to agree to terms on player contracts, several players will not suit up for the friendly. President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Michael Ricketts, however, believes the situation is an opportunity.
“The show must go on,” he said. “We will be missing some of our best players, but this game provides a perfect opportunity for coach Whitmore to see other players who could possibly help to bolster his squad going forward. It is not a perfect situation, but it could be useful.”
At least one member of a 15-man local squad, called by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to prepare for the upcoming friendly against the United States, tested positive for the coronavirus and is now isolating at home.
The rest of the contingent, including head coach Theodore Whitmore, ancillary staff, and administrative staff, tested negative for the virus and are now in camp at the UWI/JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre.
The local unit will train at the venue for the next few days before leaving on the weekend of the 20th to join the overseas-based players, who will fly directly to Austria by March 22. The match will take place on March 25th at the SC Wiener Neustadt. The match will be Jamaica’s first international friendly since they faced Saudi Arabia over two legs, in November of last year.
Having failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, the national team is set to return to action with a fixture against the Spanish region Catalonia on May 25. The friendly will be followed by matches against Suriname in the Nations League and another friendly against Uruguay in June.
The 27-year-old Clarke-Harris has been one of the most dependable scorers outside the Premier League in recent years and is a player the Jamaica Football Federation has kept close tabs on. Since joining Peterborough in 2020, the player has scored a healthy 44 goals in 87 appearances for the club.
In 31 appearances in the English Championship, this season, the forward has scored 11 times, coupled with 3 assists. The club will, however, be relegated from the division this season after finishing second from the bottom of the league table.
Hall, who served as the assistant coach under former national coach Theodore Whitmore, took charge of the national team in December of last year, following the dismissal of the head coach.
He would go on to coach the unit for 10 matches, which included the successful qualification of the team to the Concacaf Gold Cup from the Concacaf Nation’s League competition. Hall last took charge of the team in a 1-1 draw against Mexico in the Nations League in June.
Since then, the JFF announced that Merron Gordon had been named interim coach for the team’s most recent fixture against Morocco and Qatar and is expected to announce former Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson as head of the program in the coming days.
In a release posted to the social media platform Instagram, Hall attempted to bring some clarity to the issue.
“I felt I had to resign as many of my requests, such as the standard of the training pitch, additional kit for cold weather in Canada and in particular organistion for transport were well below par,” Hall said via the release.
“After qualifying for the Gold Cup and with the situation with administration being strained. I felt like my position had become untenable. I was still being expected to be part of conference calls, team talks, and matchday selections, but my role, contract, and remuneration questions were being ignored,” he added.
The coach went on to claim that he was yet to receive full monetary compensation for his period with the team, despite receiving a payment last week.
The 27-year-old Morrison made his debut for Jamaica’s senior team in November 2020 during a two-match friendly series against Saudi Arabia. The teams split the series 1-1 with Morrison distinguishing himself over the two matches.
Simpson said the discussions with centre around the player’s immediate future what with the critical CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers coming up later this year as Jamaica seeks to qualify for a second World Cup, it’s first since 1998.
However, he said, there is a reason for optimism.
“In speaking with Ravel's agent, he said they would not have cancelled if they were not pursuing positive options and they will confirm his new club in a few days,” Simpson told Sportsmax.TV this morning.
The mercurial Morrison has had an erratic career since signing for Manchester United in 2010 when he was seen as an extremely talented youngster poised for greater things.
Since then, he has gone on to play for 11 different clubs that have seen flashes of his brilliance.
Among the clubs he has played for in the last decade include West Ham, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Lazio, Sheffield United and Middlesborough.
The forward has been a part of the Watford squad since 2017 but spent the last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers. During his stint at Queens Park Rangers, Gray scored 10 goals as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
Gray has had a productive stint in Championship football since joining Burnley in 2015. The forward notched 20 in 52 at Brentford and 33 in 78 at Burnley before making a reported £17m switch to Hertfordshire in 2017.
According to reports, the player has also drawn interest from Birmingham and Preston North End where another Jamaican Daniel Johnson is a part of the squad.
The 29-year-old FC Cincinnati forward has been accused of making a false, fraudulent or incomplete insurance claim and theft by deception in Carroll Township, Pennsylvania.
Media reports say that according to court documents, the complaint against Mattocks was first filed on December 5, 2019, in which bail was set at $50,000. A formal arraignment is scheduled for February 27, 2020.
Mattocks was about to begin his second season at FC Cincinnati. Last season he scored three goals for the club in 21 appearances.
An eight-year veteran of Major League Soccer (MLS), Mattocks has played for the Vancouver Whitecaps, DC United and the Portland Timbers.
Whitmore, who signed a new four-year contract with the JFF in 2018, has largely stayed on the sidelines as some members of the national squad and the JFF have wrangled over contractual negotiations for the past few months.
The coach has, however, on occasion made his frustrations know, mostly as it relates to dissatisfaction with the lack of organisation and lack of resources available for the national program.
In addressing the ongoing issue during a recent interview with YouTube channel Reggae Boyz Commentary, Lawrence highlighted a few of the issues that also impacted the coach. The defender pointed to the fact that the team has only one physiotherapist and one equipment manager as some of the issues that have impacted the unit. Whitmore has in addition requested a video analyst as part of his technical staff but, to date, no such post has been created.
“What Tappa has been doing with the limited number of resources that he has; you want to break that up? Tappa is getting it right and we have a short space of time and he is doing his best to make everything work and the Federation is cutting his legs from under him,” Lawrence said.
“We want them to understand where we are coming from and just be honest. They share things in TV interviews that are nowhere close to what is the truth. Tell the Jamaican people what is going on,” he added.
“The players reach a level where they are fed up. If the (JFF’s) approach is “hol this” then bring who wants to go to the Gold Cup (to play) without 2 or 3 medical staff, physio or a technical coach, because these are the things that will get us to win in the finals, not just being there.
It’s a difference between us and the USA because every time they do well they look at what they have done and they bring more to the table in terms of video sessions, anything to help.”
Whitmore led the team to the 2017 Gold Cup final, the second time it has done so in its history.
The 35-year-old defender had been without a club since May of this year, after being released by English Championship club Bristol City. The player had, however, continued to show strong form with his country’s national team, playing in 6 games.
Mariappa was linked with a move back to England with Sheffield Wednesday, who are coached by another former Jamaica international Darren Moore. The club reportedly offered the out-of-contract player a deal, but he opted for the Super League move instead.
For his part, Mariappa insists he is excited and looking forward to the new challenge.
“I want to thank the owners and the football staff for having faith in me and making this happen,” Mariappa said.
“When the opportunity to join the Bulls arrived, it was one I couldn’t turn down. It’s an exciting new challenge for me in my career and that for me is what I thrive off,” he added.
“I’m hungry to achieve great things with the club and create new memories with the team and the fans.”
Macarthur have won one and drawn one of their two games so far in the 2021/22 season.
According to the forward, currently on-loan at Queens Park Rangers from Watford, players that are called up for countries from the CONCACAF and Confederation of African Football (CAF) often faced increased pressure as clubs regard the decision in a negative light.
By contrast, players being called up for the England team is viewed as a positive and attracts much less scrutiny. In truth clubs and countries have often found themselves locked in conflict regarding the use of top international players during international windows.
Most recently things came to a head when English League clubs attempted to block, and in some instances prevented players from travelling to Africa, South America, and the Caribbean due to travel restrictions and quarantine measures that were put in place. In retaliation, the countries affected threatened to use their power under FIFA regulations to ban players for one league match.
“If England call there is going to be no arguments. The minute you get called up for Nigeria or Jamaica it’s an inconvenience and a risk to the club,” Gray said in an interview with The Athletic.
“It’s just a stereotype around it. It is the same with AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations), which is scheduled to start in January. That has more respect around it now because of people like Mo Salah,” he added.
Blake finished behind Matt Turner of the New England Revolution who helped the team to its first-ever Supporters’ Shield with a new single-season points record.
Turner secured a total of 43.60 percent of the vote, followed by the Jamaican shot-stopper who claimed 10.43. Blake has posted another solid season for the Philadelphia Union getting a total of 13 clean sheets and a save success ratio of 76 percent. Blake previously won the award in 2016 and last year when he finished ahead of Turner.
Turner set a new Revs franchise record with 17 regular season wins, which tied him for the overall MLS lead. The goalkeeper’s 1.25 goals-against average and 74.2 save percentage both ranked in the top-10 among goalkeepers with at least 24 starts, and his two penalty kick saves were the second-most in the league.
The votes are placed by MLS club technical staff, media, and current MLS players.
According to the South London Press, the south-east London club is “closing in on a transfer” for the “pacey 19-year-old winger,” who represents Arnett Gardens Football Club in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).
Dixon’s agent, Kevin Cowan, told the local media recently that a number of clubs from Belgium, Denmark, and Portugal, as well as the US-based MLS, stated their interest in the player.
However, it is Charlton Athletic, which competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system, that is the current frontrunner.
“The expectation is that he’ll eventually transfer abroad during the summer, but we’re still evaluating the different possibilities,” Cowan said.
Should Dixon transfer to Charlton, he will join fellow Reggae Boy Karoy Anderson, a product of Charlton’s Academy, who made his international debut for Jamaica in 2023.
Ricardo Fuller, who paraded his skills from 2012–2013, and Michael Hector, who left the club in June, are the other notable Jamaican internationals that have graced the club that plays its home games at The Valley.
Dixon, who made his senior Reggae Boyz debut in Concacaf Nations League action against United States in March, tallied six goals in 13 appearances for Arnett Gardens last season. He also has two goals in eight international appearances so far.
The 26-year-old player found himself the target of racist online abuse following the team’s loss to Birmingham City last weekend. The forward was the third Swansea player since February to suffer the issue.
In response, Swansea announced that the club would boycott any social media-related activities for two weeks. They were joined in the effort by Scottish club Rangers. The player hopes the effort will at least bring more attention to the issue or push social media platforms towards a response.
The issue of the right to online anonymity has provoked fierce debate since the early days of the internet. At current, individuals are not required to provide identification in order to sign up for accounts, Lowe believes that could part of the issue.
“At the moment, no one knows who is abusing any of us,” Lowe told Sky Sports.
“You’ve got an Instagram account, or a Twitter account or whatever when you sign up, put your email address in, put your national insurance number in or your passport number in, your driver’s license number, something that can identify you as a person,” he added.
“Something that can be linked back to who you really are and not just a page you created in five minutes, send some abuse and delete it because that’s a never-ending story.”
According to a report in The Guardian, Morrison, during his interview under caution, claimed he bought the badge from “someone in Old Trafford” for £50. The former Manchester United representative was subsequently charged with one count of fraud.
Morrison, 30, who currently represents DC United in Major League Soccer (MLS) appeared before Manchester magistrates court to plead guilty to the offence on Thursday. He was fined £1,000 and was ordered to pay costs of £508.32 and a victim surcharge of £400.
Manchester city council enforcement officers began their investigation in May into a white Audi S3 parked in Bridgewater Street which was displaying a blue badge.
Blue badge permits are given to people with disabilities or health issues, whose mobility is limited. It entitles those individuals to park free of charge in spaces that are often closer to shops and destinations.
The police discovered that the badge’s holder died in February 2022, and was no longer valid. The vehicle was issued with a penalty charge notice and was removed to the Manchester vehicle pound. Morrison reclaimed his vehicle later the same day.
“This ruling shows that the law is applicable to everyone, with no exceptions. I am grateful for the diligent work of our investigating officers, as well as legal counsel, who were able to successfully prosecute this case,” a spokesperson for Manchester city council said.
“Our officers patrol the streets daily to ensure that blue badges are used legitimately, and we will not hesitate to take action if we discover people trying to circumvent the law,” they added.
Morrison’s topsy-turvy career, playing for 13 clubs around the world after leaving Manchester United in 2012. He has so far made 18 appearances for Jamaica with three goals to his credit.
A free agent since parting ways with Major League Soccer side DC United at the beginning of this year, Morrison is eager to return to regular football action, sparking the interest of clubs across the English Championship.
Sheffield Wednesday, currently grappling with the challenges of a survival fight in the Championship, sees Morrison as a potential boost to their attacking options. The free agent status of the Jamaican international has also piqued the interest of League One promotion hopefuls Bolton and Peterborough, both aiming to strengthen their squads for the crucial final weeks of the season.
Having made his debut for Jamaica in November 2020, Morrison showcased his prowess by scoring his first international goal in a crucial World Cup qualification match against Honduras in March 2022. However, despite his impressive international outings, the 31-year-old has been sidelined from the Reggae Boyz squad since March 2023 due to a lack of club football activity.
Should Morrison secure a contract with any of the three English Championship clubs currently courting him, it could potentially reignite his chances of returning to the national team. The window of opportunity, however, seems tight, with Jamaica's Reggae Boyz gearing up to face the United States in the CONCACAF Nations Cup semi-finals in late March.
The possibility of a move to Sheffield Wednesday adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, considering Morrison's past stint with their cross-city rivals Sheffield United during the 2019-20 season.
With a football journey that has taken him through clubs in six different countries, Morrison stands at a crossroads, contemplating a return to the league where it all began for the talented midfielder, or the prospect of venturing into League One for the first time in his career.
Aleksandr Sobolev opened the scoring when he put Spartak ahead in the 10th minute, a lead they held until Arsen Zakharyen pulled Dynamo level in the 55th minute. The sides remained deadlocked until Dutch player Quincy Promes scored the winner in the 72nd minute.
Nicholson played his part in the victory when he replaced Mikhail Ignatov in the 66th minute as Spartak got their fifth hold on the Russia Cup.
The 25-year-old Nicholson signed with Spartak Moscow in December 2021 on a four-and-a-half year contract from Belgian outfit Charleroi. He made 76 appearances for Charleroi scoring 30 goals.
After a self-imposed break from Jamaica's national senior team, Nicholson was recalled to the Reggae Boyz squad for upcoming Nations League matches against Suriname on June 4 and 7 and Mexico on June 14.
However, the player will be able to continue playing this season and in the upcoming world cup qualifiers with the use of a protective face shield.
Nicholson was forced to leave the field in the second half of the match after he was hit in the face during a violent collision with Brandon Mechele.
The striker jumped to head a ball on goal but Mechele, the Club Brugge defender, in challenging for the ball, headed Nicholson in the jaw, rendering the Jamaican unconscious for a short time. Reports on the incident said Nicholson tried to play on after regaining consciousness but was unable to continue and was substituted.
Immediately afterwards, club officials feared Nicholson have suffered a broken jaw but were awaiting the results of additional tests. Their fears were proven valid as Reggae Boyz team manager Roy Simpson confirmed this morning that Nicholson suffered a minor fracture but will be able to continue playing this season with the use of a protective face shield.
Nicholson scored both of Jamaica’s goals in the Reggae Boyz first three World Cup qualifiers in the Octogonal round. He scored Jamaica’s only goal in Jamaica’s 2-1 loss to Mexico and scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica in San Jose.
Jamaica’s next round of qualifiers begins on October 7 against the United States. The Reggae Boyz then take on Canada on October 10 before facing Honduras on October 13.
Shaw will turn out for Atletico Ottawa after signing a two-year deal last Thursday.
The deal ended Shaw’s relationship with Jamaican Red Stripe Premier League outfit, Portmore United.
Before Shaw, Alex Marshall and Nicholas Nelson, were also announced as entrants to the league.
Shaw is hoping that his efforts with Ottawa will mean he finds his way into bigger markets down the line.
“Trying to one the standout players in my role and also be a leader; add few goals, few assists and continue to work my socks off to get a few more national call-ups and take it from there. (Also) to make the transition to a better set-up into the wider world because I aspire to play at the highest level,” said Shaw.
The Canadian Premier League has been suspended until April 11.
Nicholson, a former Boys’ Town footballer, transferred from the Red Stripe Premier League and now plies his trade in Belgium’s Jupiter League.
Charleroi, for whom he plays, are currently third in the league but its suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic has left him in a difficult place.
“[…] it’s a difficult situation as it’s not vacation time and I’m not used to not playing football now in season time, it feels so weird,” said Nicholson in an interview with Jamaican newspaper, The Gleaner.
The 23-year-old is keeping in shape while the league is suspended courtesy of a personal trainer and a programme the club has written for his daily exercise at home, but that is not enough.
“I’m in Charleroi and when you go out, you don’t see people outside, you hear no noise, nothing, it’s so weird. It has affected the whole country and, as we speak, it’s affecting the whole world and now it’s football season and there is no football, it’s just staying home and you get so tired of staying home, even though training is hard,” said Nicholson.
Nicholson had scored nine goals for Charleroi before the forced break, with just one player having scored more for his side.
There was just one game remaining in the regular season by the time COVID-19 fears put an end to football in Belgium, with Charleroi in third place, one point of a Champions League spot.
Nicholson wants the league to play that one remaining regular season game, even if there are no playoffs to come after.
“It would mean so much to me if the team should qualify automatically for the Champions League, it would mean a lot,” he said.
The man who has scored seven goals in 18 appearances for Jamaica believes that the re-start of all the leagues around the world will be tough because teams usually develop momentum along the way as the players become more match ready as the season progresses.
Because of the break, he says, there was no way of telling which teams would start quickly.
