President Michael Ricketts says, in spite of rumours suggesting otherwise, there is no existing tension between the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Reggae Girlz Captain Khadija Shaw.

Shaw opted out of the squad which took part in the Cup of Nations tournament in Australia in February, for what she said were “personal reasons.”

This was a tournament Jamaica took part in to prepare for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. The decision came as a surprise to some, who questioned whether there was an issue between her and the JFF. Such sentiment follows Shaw previously leading a team strike in 2019 because of funds owed to players by the federation.

But Ricketts says that his most recent meeting with her and other players went well.

“She was here over the Easter weekend,” Ricketts said. “When we were in England, we had a meeting with the technical staff — every member of staff was at the meeting. It was very cordial; the exchanges were respectful and very relevant. I think we had a very good meeting with the staff and immediately after that meeting, we also had a meeting with all the players. They too were respectful. We had a very, very good meeting with them. Of course, they expressed some concerns but the General Secretary [Dennis Chung] and I were at the meeting and we committed ourselves to ensuring that basic things [were sorted out].”

Ricketts says the players shared a number of issues, including a policy that assured them tickets for personal distribution on match days.

“They wanted an assurance in relation to their payments, and of course, they understood when we tried to explain to them that we sometimes are not in a position to make payments when we promise to,” he said. “Sometimes a sponsor, and even FIFA, may say ‘We make funds available and we’ll disburse them, and for whatever reason, the disbursement may get to you late’.

“We explained all of that. That said, the meeting ended very well. So, as it is now, I think we have a very decent relationship. The Marleys and the JFF, the Reggae Girlz Foundation, and the JFF have worked assiduously to ensure that we have a good relationship amongst all of us. We have worked to ensure that the girls are as comfortable as possible.”

With Jamaica’s first World Cup game taking place against France in Sydney on July 23, the JFF is trying to ensure no future issues arise to unsettle players before the tournament.

Unlike when the Girlz debuted in 2019 and had low expectations, Head Coach Lorne Donaldson, known to have high expectations of his players, wants the team to be competitive this summer, regardless of being in Group F with two tournament favourites, the other being Brazil. Jamaica’s other opponent is Panama, also from Concacaf.

“We do not just want to participate,” Ricketts said. “We want to earn some points. The coach is very optimistic. He thinks he has a squad that could really make us proud.”

Jamaica meet Panama in Perth on July 29, then Brazil in Melbourne on August 2.