Jamaica’s Women’s World Cup football squad say they will refuse to play in upcoming international matches, accusing their football federation of delayed payments and poor management.
The players say that have not received full pay for their World Cup performances or bonuses for qualifying.
— Rebecca Spencer (@beckyspencer2) October 21, 2023
The Reggae Girlz produced a historic performance in the summer, reaching the knockout stages for the first time.
The team are set to travel to Panama on Wednesday, before a home match against Panama four days later, in Concacaf Gold Cup qualifying, but it looks like the game might not be played unless the issue is solved, or that Jamaica will send a weakened team.
On Friday, the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) named an inexperienced 23-player squad for the two games.
In a statement, released by several senior players on social media, the Reggae Girlz said: “While this has been one of the hardest decisions we have had to make, we feel it is necessary to take such a drastic stance to put an end to the constant mistreatment we receive from the Jamaica Football Federation.”
The statement accused the JFF of “unprofessional communication” around the naming of new staff, including new manager Xavier Gilbert, who was appointed on Thursday.
It also said the players had not received “full and correct” payments for their World Cup performances, and have “numerous outstanding bonuses” from qualifying in 2022.
The Jamaican Football Federation responded saying that the players were out of order, as they had not notified the JFF individually that they would not be available for the Panama game, but did not address the issue of unpaid bonuses and wages.
Source: BBC, ESPN
