Renowned sports attorney Dr Emir Crowne has strongly criticised the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (ISSA) decision to bar Jamaica College (JC) footballer Jamone Lyle from schoolboy competition because of his professional contract with Waterhouse FC, arguing that the rule unfairly penalises a young player for his success in the sport.

Crowne described the decision as a backward approach to football governance, questioning why a student should lose the opportunity to represent his school simply because he has progressed to the professional level.

“Amateurism, in all respects. That is the only way I would describe a system that celebrates a young player for reaching the professional level, then penalises the player for having reached it,” Dr Crowne told Observer Online.

“ISSA’s rule is fundamentally backwards. It punishes a young player, not for misconduct, but for succeeding,” he argued.

The decision has raised questions about the balance between ISSA’s responsibility to preserve the integrity of schoolboy football and the development of young players who have earned opportunities in the professional game.

Crowne argued that international football’s regulatory framework recognises that minors can become professional footballers, with an emphasis on protecting their interests as they enter the professional environment.

“ISSA’s rule appears to treat that same professional progress as disqualifying,” he said. “ISSA should reconsider whether its rule reflects the realities of modern football.”

While acknowledging the need to protect the principles of schoolboy competition, Crowne said the circumstances of a young player must be considered carefully, particularly when decisions could affect his development and educational experience.

He stressed that determining eligibility and deciding whether a student should face punishment were two separate issues that should not be treated as one.

“Even if ISSA is entitled to preserve amateur competition, any decision affecting a minor must put the child’s best interests and development at the centre of the process,” Crowne said.

“Eligibility is one question. Whether the child himself should be punished is another entirely,” he reiterated.

Crowne believes ISSA should reconsider whether signing a professional contract should automatically disqualify a student from representing his school, especially in an era when young footballers are increasingly pursuing professional opportunities while still completing their education.

“Anything else is amateurism masquerading as governance,” Dr Crowne pointed out.

Crowne’s comments add to the debate over the rules governing schoolboy football in Jamaica and whether existing eligibility requirements adequately accommodate the changing realities of the modern game.

At the heart of the issue is whether a player’s professional status should, in itself, be enough to end his schoolboy career, or whether ISSA should adopt a more nuanced approach that considers the player’s circumstances, development and best interests.

READ: JC booted from Walker Cup for fielding ineligible player Jamone Lyle