Marlon King, the enigmatic Jamaica striker, is due to arrive in Jamaica today with some 12 other UK-based players, old and new as the Reggae Boyz enter do-or-die World Cup qualifying matches against Panama away on Friday, and then Costa Rica at the National Stadium next week Tuesday.

The Jamaica Football Federation will stage a press conference today at its offices at 3:00 pm, where the players will be presented to the media.

King, 33, was coaxed out of international retirement by new Jamaica head coach, German Winfried Shcafer who succeeded Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore in July, after the latter resigned following a string of poor results during the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The former Birmingham City striker resigned as a Jamaica international out of frustration last November, after he was overlooked by Whitmore, even after having served a two-match ban following an alleged breach of curfew rules during a friendly match in Panama City last year May.

King’s two-match suspension would have embraced World Cup qualifying semi-final games against Guatemala in Kingston and Antigua and Barbuda away.

Another player, Preston North End’s Chris Humphrey, was also suspended in that incident and never recalled.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer in late July, Schafer had indicated then that he would be meeting with a number of existing Reggae Boyz, including King, plus the possibility of new prospects on a trip to the United Kingdom as he looks to shore up the ranks ahead of death-defying World Cup qualifying matches.

The German also indicated that he was prepared to look past the player’s past alleged indiscretions as he aims to fix the offensive part of the team’s play after its poor form in front of goal during the hexagonal stage of CONCACAF eliminations.

So far, Jamaica sit at the bottom with two points and must have favourable results in their four remaining games if they wish to at least snatch the fourth-place play-off spot that would pit them against the champions of Oceania.

Jamaica have scored only two goals and conceded eight in six matches.

The USA lead the points standings with 13 points, followed by Costa Rica on 11, Mexico 8, Honduras 7 and Panama 6.

No stranger to trouble, King was also banned for two years by the Crenston Boxhill-led federation for another curfew-related incident in London, 2006.

On the return of Captain Horace Burrell to the helm of the JFF in 2007, King was immediately reinstated to the team.

In December 2008, King was arrested on suspicion of punching a 20-year-old female university student in the face, causing a broken nose and split lip for which she was treated in hospital. In a highly publicised case, he was later convicted of sexual assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

King has had a relatively successful career playing in England, having represented Wigan Athletic, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Coventry, Watford, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City, parting company with the latter recently.

King has scored 12 goals for Jamaica in 22 appearances.