Dear Editor,

Football shouldn’t reach the stage where one is supposed to sign a contract to play for the national team. Correct me if I am wrong, but Jamaica might be the only national team where players are asked to sign contracts before donning those famous colours. It should be every footballer’s dream to play for the national team, not only play for it, but play with pride and joy.

This is a very sad day for football in Jamaica, as the national team is being run like a football club in which they are asked to sign contracts before playing, which is wrong. But in saying all that, this is a very good move because we cannot take any more embarrassment from players who cannot be trusted. Sometimes one needs to take drastic action to set some people straight. I am not a fan of Captain Burrell, but if I were in Jamaica now, I would buy him a round for that move.

Before we start to let off steam about the contract, we might want to see what kind of contact JFF is talking about. What if a player signs a four-year contract on December 20, 2010 and falls sick one month later, a sickness that will keep him out of football for a year or so? Is he still on the payroll? What if a player signs a four-year contract on December 20, 2010 and his form dips one month later and he is not picked for the national team again? Is he still on the payroll? What if a player is injured and is replaced by another player? Who is going to get the money? Will it split down the middle even though the sick player might be drinking white rum in a bar in Denham Town?

Any drafting of contracts should satisfy all the parties involved. Is the president talking about basic fee for every single match played? This could be very tricky because I can see a problem if the contract is one-sided. What kind of crowd are we talking about if Jamaica plays St Vincent in the “office”, for example? What if T&T comes to the “office”? What happens if Germany (with Ballack), England (with Gerard), Brazil (with Robinho), Italy (with Mario Ballotelli), France (with Nasri), Ivory Coast (with Droba), Portugal (with Ronaldo and Nani), Holland (with Van Persie and Arjen Robben), Argentina (with Messi and Tevez) and Spain with all the Barcelona superstars grace the “office”? Those are three different kinds of crowd and money we are talking about. The players should get a basic fee plus a very, very good bonus if any of those top teams come to Jamaica.

It is sad to see the national team coming to this, but who can blame the president for this drastic action, even though some might call it knee-jerk reaction? The good thing about this contract signing is that players will not be forced and don’t have to sign the contract. If they like what they read and think they can work with that, then they sign the contract and move on. They shouldn’t sign the contract if they don’t like what they read in which case there will be no fuss, no blackmailing and no more apology. This might even be good for Jamaican football because more humble youths in the domestic league might get more chances when the so-called professionals think the money on the table is monkey money.

Hero Scott

Brussels, Belgium

herocarlito@yahoo.com