Midfielder makes himself available for Reggae Boyz
JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) President Captain Horace Burrell is out to prove a point.
Already he has checked the first box. And if fortune favours him, he could end up with more boxes checked.
The JFF boss, on his way back from FIFA meetings in Zurich, Switzerland, stopped in London yesterday where he met with Reggae Boy Jobi McAnuff, the influential midfielder who was one of three key players absent from the nation’s two-legged World Cup qualifying play-offs against Nicaragua earlier this month.
McAnuff, Wes Morgan and Garath McCleary missed the game for various reasons, with McAnuff opting out to be with his pregnant wife who was expected to deliver on or around the time of the games; while McCleary was caught up in a similar situation with his pregnant wife, as well as also still recovering from an injury sustained while representing Jamaica at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the summer.
Morgan had asked for a break from the games to rest and be with his family after a hectic summer when he played both the Copa America and the Gold Cup.
According to Captain Burrell, McAnuff is now ready to return to the team for next month’s friendly international against South Korea in Seoul, as well as the World Cup qualifier against Panama here in mid-November.
“McAnuff says he’s ready to go, both for the friendly next month and the World Cup qualifiers,” Captain Burrell told the Jamaica Observer from London yesterday, eager to dispel rumours that the senior players had issues with the federation and had given up on representing the team in the future.
The JFF boss said today he will be a guest of Reading FC, the club of McCleary and Michael Hector, when they host Everton in the Calling Cup. There he hopes to confirm McCleary’s availability to the team as well, while tomorrow he is scheduled to travel to Nottingham to meet with Wes Morgan.
Meanwhile, Captain Burrell was also invited to meet with former England international Les Ferdinand, the director of football at Queens Park Rangers today, where he will explore the possibility of 32-year-old midfielder Karl Henry joining the Reggae Boyz fold.
It is also understood that the discussions will also explore the possibility of players in the national set-up joining the Queens Park Rangers.
