The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has expressed disappointment with the news that Waterhouse and Portmore United football clubs have been forced to pull out of the Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.

Though he understands the need for caution from the authorities, JFF President Michael Ricketts is exasperated with the current stalemate and worries for the immediate future. “With the lack of football activity over an extended period comes a downturn in quality at all levels,” lamented Ricketts.

He added: “We are now being left behind by the region. Every major football league in Concacaf, apart from Jamaica, is underway. There is no standing still in the game. While our opponents play and improve we are depreciating technically.”

Ricketts still harbours hope that the Premier League will get underway even with the limited time left. “It is imperative that our local players get a chance to perform so the best of them can be promoted to the next level,” he said.

The JFF president indicated that all stakeholders must now agree that they cannot allow another fallout in the sport and reiterated that the federation remains committed as ever before to work with all to prevent this from happening. “Jamaica will be the loser, we can do this safely,” ended Ricketts.

Jamaican players will have at least one more opportunity to impress Head Coach Theodore Whitmore before the Concacaf Gold Cup and the World Cup qualifiers, this in the Fifa window in early June. The Gold Cup, which begins July 10, sees Jamaica drawn in Group C alongside Costa Rica, Suriname and a qualifier from the preliminary round.