The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is now moving to save face, as they have once again been called out by the senior Reggae Girlz over a range of issues which they players say, have affected their preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in Australia and New Zealand.
The Girlz in a widely circulated letter first shared on social media by prolific striker and captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, 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.
Despite sharing their concerns with the federation “on multiple occasions” the Girlz pointed out that the issues remain unresolved, and they believe the lack of interest by those in charge, threaten the integrity of women’s football in Jamaica.
The Reggae Girlz also say that their preparations for the July 20 to August 20 global showpiece have been impacted by what they say is the federation’s “extreme disorganization”.
“In recent months, due to extreme disorganization of camp logistics, we have missed several official FIFA friendly matches. This will undoubtedly impact our preparations for Australia,” they said.
“The Reggae Girlz consist of professional and collegiate footballers who are spread out 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 prohibitive for some of our players,” the Girlz added.
The Girlz said that they hope “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 our federation and those in charge of protecting the integrity of women’s football,” the letter ended.
Meanwhile, the governing football body in response, said they have noted the Reggae Girlz concerns and are taking them seriously.
“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 JFF said.
A similar situation came to the fore in 2019 ahead of the Girlz World Cup debut appearance in France. Then, the Girlz main issues were the absence of a proper contract and salaries for players.