WHILE expressing happiness that Mona High will be playing in the ISSA Walker Cup final, Head Coach Craig Butler has called for serious intervention in Jamaica College’s football programme which he believes is being undermined by a “must-win” mentality.

Butler’s team was granted a place in the urban area knockout final against Kingston College after the competition’s governing body, ISSA, removed Jamaica College (JC) from the tournament after using Reggae Boy Jamone Lyle who was found to be a professional player.

ISSA’s rules state professional athletes are barred from participating in ISSA-run competitions.

Lyle played in last Saturday’s semi-final in which JC beat Mona 4-3 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in regulation and extra time.

After Mona lodged an official complaint, ISSA investigated and it was confirmed that the 17-yearold signed a professional contract in August with Jamaica Premier League club Waterhouse.

ISSA’s disciplinary committee met and ruled JC’s semi-final win null and void which meant Mona will play in Friday’s final.

JC issued a statement early Tuesday afternoon, saying it “had no knowledge of Lyle having entered into a professional contract” while also seeking clarity on the application of ISSA’s rules.

Jamone Lyle (left) of Jamaica College and Damario Brown of Mona High fight for possession of the ball during the rescheduled ISSA Walker Cup semi-final match at Stadium East on October 10, 2026. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

The school, however, stressed that it “remains committed to working respectfully with ISSA and other stakeholders” to uphold the integrity of schoolboy football and support the development of Jamaica’s young sporting talent.

However, Butler who played Manning Cup for JC during his high school days, told the Jamaica Observer that he’s concerned about the direction that the school has been heading in and is urging past students to step in and provide guidance.

“I’m disappointed in the way that I see my school, JC, that I love and how they have allowed the boys to just basically do whatever they want and it has to change at some point and I hope that this is a wake-up call,” he said.

“I hope that the past students, Kit and Kirk Kennedy, Chris Williams — all of the past students that came from our era will go back into the school again and start to contribute in terms of mentorship and make sure the boys know what life is about.

Because guess what? This little football thing that we’re playing, it’s going to go and after that, what happens? Where are these boys being left? What are they being left with? Are they being left with some education? Are they being left with social education? Are they being left with integrity?” Butler, though, says he has nothing personal against Lyle but believes rules must be followed.

“I think that’s a disservice to the player because he’s young and malleable and he’s going to listen.

I don’t, in any shape or form, blame the kid.

I really like him as well.

After the game was over, I hugged him and told him, great game,” he said.

“But to know that the player is ineligible and still use him is something that for me questions Jamaica College’s ethos.

When I went to JC, there was a lot of ethics and a lot of honour in how they did things.

We didn’t need to win at all costs.

We wanted to give good contributors to society and to use football as a vehicle to teach boys how to be men and to lead.

I think this winning at all costs mentality has to stop and I think that JC needed this wake-up call.” Butler says more of his compatriots need to be vocal about JC’s situation before it gets worse.

“Unfortunately, I’m a brave man so I go and ask the questions.

I’m not going to be like my friends that sit down and say ‘yeah, Bullhead, you’re right’ but when the time comes, they keep quiet,” he said.

“I’m not going to keep quiet because guess what? That could have been me when I was a kid.

When Jimmy Sinclair and all of my mentors back then who coached at the school told me the right way to carry myself and behave.

Of course, there have been many times that I have not listened and many times that I have got myself in trouble but I at least knew what was the right thing to do.

I was able to come back to the nuclei of that.

So, I love Jamaica College and because I love Jamaica College, I want them to wake up and who don’t like it, I don’t give a damn.”