Mount Pleasant FA have been fined $25,000 by the JFF Competitions Committee for a breach of JPL regulations.
Earlier this week, Cavalier SC filed a formal complaint with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), alleging that current Jamaica Premier League (JPL) leaders Mount Pleasant Football Academy violated multiple competition and FIFA rules by registering and fielding three Haitian players outside the designated transfer window.
A further allegation relates to the April 10 match against Racing United (Game #205), in which seven foreign players—one more than the maximum six allowed—were reportedly listed on the match card. This, according to Article 4A.7 of JPL regulations, would constitute another violation.
The JFF Competitions Committee, at a recent meeting, determined that the Mount Pleasant FA was found to be in breach of the caption regulations during their encounter with Racing United FC.
In relation to the alleged breach of 7 players being placed on the match card/team sheet in a game, the committee acknowledged that the regulations stipulate that a maximum of 6 foreign players may be on the field of play at any given time.
Article 17.3 of the 2024-25 JPL Regulations says that any club which fields an ineligible player (participated in the game) shall lose the game.
From the match card received, the committee noted that only 5 players participated in the game.
The article further states that where a player name appears on the team sheet/match card as a list of players available to participate, the club will be fined $25,000 hence the decision to fine the Mount Pleasant FA.
In response to the allegations of registering players outside of the window, the Competitions Committee deemed that Mount Pleasant FA operated within the regulations.
“Please note that Article 6.1 of the said regulation you quoted from; ie; the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players states that as an exception to the rule, a player can be transferred outside the established windows if:
1.The player contract has expired close to the end of the transfer window and 2. The player contract was terminated close to the end of the transfer window.”
“The JFF Competitions Committee have in its possession all the termination letters and the International Transfer Certificate (ITC's) which indicates that the players were duly transferred to the Mount Pleasant FA. What is clear is that the breach was done by the players' former club and not Mount Pleasant FA,” the Competitions Committee said in a letter addressed to Mount Pleasant FA on Tuesday.