Dear Editor,

The story carried in the November 30 Observer concerning the Reggae Boyz and money promised to them by the JFF was embarrassing. I am going to make it very clear that I am not a fan of Horace Burrell, the JFF president.

The actions taken by the players were out of order and should not be repeated. It was childish of the team to leave the country to play in a tournament in another country knowing that there were unsolved financial problems hanging in the air.

The players need to have someone to take care of off-the-field business while they concentrate on football. Did the players already plan this action in Jamaica knowing that the president would have to cough up to save himself and the country from embarrassment? He needs to investigate this matter thoroughly, and whosoever is found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute in a foreign country should be banned from representing the country again. Issues like these must be discussed and settled at home before all participants leave the country, so players can play football knowing that their families will be provided for.

Too often our national players are treated like slaves, playing for nothing.

While I don’t agree with the players’ action, I do understand they have to take care of their loved ones at home because nobody else will. I hope the president will learn from the strike and treat the players with more respect. The JFF banned a young schoolboy from playing football because he decided he wanted to catch up on his schoolwork. Maybe the JFF is satisfied to have dunce players in the national team who don’t know what is 20 per cent of 100 so as to give each of them US$100 and tell them to think about how much that is in Jamaican dollars. I am on the side of discipline.

What position is the writer of this letter taking on this matter, you all might be asking? The action taken by the players smacks of blackmail. If this action had been taken before they left Jamaica, then they would gain much respect from me and others. Because it wasn’t taken at home, I think the president should ban the whole lot of them. The president himself must resign for poor management skills. The president was wrong to cave in to the players. Strong leadership is what Jamaica is lacking and we saw that every day from the PM, to the commissioner of police, to the JFF president and the heads of the families back home.

For JFF to be a successful group, all it needs is the courage of a lion, the strength of an elephant, and the speed of a cheetah. The combination of these characteristics, coupled with good horse sense, is what makes a group work.

Hero Scott

Brussels, Belgium

Herocarlito@yahoo.com