Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio will not be available for the Reggae Boyz matches against Japan and Serbia that have been scheduled for June as Jamaica’s senior squad continues its preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July and the World Cup qualifiers in September.
Both players were excluded from a Jamaica 30-man squad because they have not yet signed wage contracts with the Jamaica Football Federation. As a result, neither player has been included in a 30-man Jamaica squad set to leave on May 30 for matches against number 28th ranked Japan on Thursday, June 3 in Sakura; 25th ranked Serbia on Monday, June 7 in Kobe, and the Japanese Olympic team on June 12 in Nagoya.
Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts revealed that the management of the Bayer Leverkusen winger has committed to signing his contract but they have yet to do so. “There is a little bit of tardiness on behalf of Leon and his management. They have not yet signed the contract. I think we would have gotten a verbal commitment that he would so in short order,” Ricketts said.
“Same thing goes for Michail Antonio. His agent has indicated that they have not yet gone through the document in its entirety so they will do so in short order as soon as they have gone through and are comfortable with the content of the document.
“So, we are hopeful that these contracts will be signed soon and based on indications from Coach Whitmore these players will be part of the set-up as soon as the contracts are signed.”
The JFF president said other players could also join the squad as soon as ongoing discussions have been successfully concluded.
Meanwhile, the 30-man squad will include Andre Blake, Dennis Taylor, Jaedine White, Dillon Barnes, Adrian Mariappa, Kasey Palmer, Amari Bell, Kemar Lawrence, Wesley Harding, Oneil Fisher, Alvas Powell, Devon Williams, Kevon Lambert, Ravel Morrison, Blair Turgott, Junior Flemmings, Damion Lowe, Luca Levee, Tyreek McGhee, Lamar Walker, Bobby Reid, Javon East, Shemar Nicholson, Cory Burke, Andre Gray, Jashaun Anglin, Ethan Pinnock, Michael Hector, Kevaugn Isaacs, Liam Moore.
Coach Theodore Whitmore said as the team approaches a crucial period in its preparation, the players are required to consistently bring out their best.
“This is an important year for the Reggae Boyz insofar as international competition is concerned. The CONCACAF Gold Cup is slated for July and the FIFA 2020 World Cup qualifiers will kick off in September. We will be very busy during the second half of this year,” Whitmore said. “We welcome the two matches against Japan and Serbia. These are important games to fine-tune preparations for the Gold Cup.
“We anticipate a very competitive roster. Each player, domestic and foreign-based, must use every available opportunity to perform and press their case for selection. We have spent the last three years looking, moulding and preparing. Now is the time to deliver.
“We need each player to challenge himself and take responsibility, to be accountable on and off the pitch for performance and conduct. The standards and expectations are high.”
Whitmore also commended the JFF and the players for settling the wage dispute which has now removed an obstacle from their period of preparation and urged Corporate Jamaica to support the team as he believes has the talent to achieve their goal of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Whitmore scored both goals in Jamaica’s 2-1 victory over Japan during the 1998 World Cup in France but the Reggae Boyz lost their encounter against the Japanese 1-0 in 2014.
Jamaica last played Serbia in 2017 and lost that match 2-1.
President Ricketts said the JFF is satisfied with the safety arrangements to be put in place for the three matches.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Getafe 0-3 Atletico Madrid: Griezmann treble seals Champions League qualification
Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 LaLiga win at Getafe on Wednesday as Diego Simeone's side sealed Champions League qualification.
The France star opened the scoring in the 27th minute from Rodrigo De Paul's throughball and had his second shortly before half-time, flicking Samuel Lino's pinpoint pass past Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.
Griezmann completed his hat-trick in the 51st minute with a fine finish under Soria's legs, with Lino claiming his second assist by playing Los Colchoneros' all-time leading scorer into the area.
It was Griezmann's second hat-trick of the season, after he also netted three times in a 3-0 win at Celta Vigo last October.
With two games remaining, Simeone's side are now on 73 points in fourth, 11 ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who lost 2-1 against Celta Vigo on Wednesday.
Data Debrief: Griezmann repeats the trick
Griezmann is the only player to score two hat-tricks in LaLiga this season, and the only player to net a treble with all three goals coming on his left foot.
He might need to go even further to put himself in Golden Boot contention, though, with his 16 goals for this term putting him behind Artem Dovbyk (20), Jude Bellingham, Alexander Sorloth (both 19) and Robert Lewandowski (17).
Fernandes looking for strong finish to Man Utd's season
Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United must "finish the season in the best way" following their 3-2 win over Newcastle United.
The United youngsters played starring roles, with Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund getting all three goals to close the gap to Newcastle in the table.
Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall both netted for the Magpies, with the latter setting up a nervy finish with his stoppage-time effort, but their lack of clinical edge meant United earned all three points.
Erik ten Hag’s side avoided a third consecutive defeat, and what would have been a record-breaking 10th home loss of the season, and Fernandes insists they must find a way to finish positively.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the United captain said: "Obviously the job isn’t finished yet. We still have one game in the Premier League, then the biggest game of the season, the FA Cup final.
"It has been a tough season. The table shows that, and we are all aware of that. The fans have been amazing and behind us all season. We all appreciate what they have been doing for us.
"We want to do better and do differently. They [fans] have been amazing for us, and we had to do something. We have been trying, but results don’t show that. We have been working hard and everyone has been giving their best. It is not enough, and we have to do more.
"We still have two games to go, and we have to finish in the best way.
"It doesn’t exist, a captain's performance, it is a team performance. I am no different from anyone just because I have the armband. I always try my best, and we always do the best we can for the club – nobody hides that we play for a big club, and we have to lift our standards every game."
Despite returning to winning ways, United have now conceded 58 Premier League goals this season, their most across a single campaign in the competition.
Ten Hag was keen to turn the focus away from their struggling defence and onto the attacking players instead.
"Fantastic. Great goals. But it was a team effort how we made the goals. But I'm always happy at young players who are progressing very good and scored some brilliant goals," he told BBC Sport.
"Newcastle have a lot of physical power, and you have to match that, but you also have to play football. We had found the really good balance in this.
"It's always nice to win any game. It's important to win the last game at Old Trafford this season. The fans deserve this because they've had difficult times and always stayed with us.
"We are here together. We wanted to pay the fans back."
JPL finalists Mount Pleasant, Cavalier join teams from T&T, Dom Rep as early qualifiers for Concacaf Caribbean Cup
Reigning Jamaica Premier League champions Mount Pleasant FA and Cavalier FC have booked spots in this year’s Concacaf Caribbean Cup where they will again challenge for a berth in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
By virtue of setting up a repeat of last year’s final, Mount Pleasant, hunting their second local top-flight title, and Cavalier, seeking redemption from last season’s defeat, joined three other clubs from Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago as early confirmations.
This will be Mount Pleasant’s debut in the Caribbean Cup and first appearance in a Concacaf tournament, while Cavalier makes a return after an unbeaten run in the group stage, before finishing as runner-up to Suriname’s Robinhood FC. It also and earned them a debut appearance in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
From Dominican Republic, Cibao FC, will make its second appearance in the Caribbean Cup as the 2023 league champion from the Dominican Republic. Cibao has become a regular to Concacaf competitions, appearing in the 2018 Champions League and the 2020 and 2022 Concacaf League.
Based in Santiago de los Caballeros, Cibao became the first team in the history of the Dominican Republic to secure an official international title when they won the 2017 Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.
Meanwhile, Moca FC, also out of Dominican Republic, returns for a second crack at the Caribbean Cup due to their standing in the 2023 season. Moca reached the semifinals in the previous edition and won the third-place match to qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, making its debut earlier this year. Gustavo Ascona is the club’s all-time leader with four goals in the competition.
Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain will make a second appearance in the Caribbean Cup. The club will be aiming to achieved new milestones by getting their first win in the tournament and, by extension, secure a first Concacaf Champions Cup participation.
The remaining clubs in the annual 10-team tournament –that crowns a Caribbean champion and determine participants from the region for the Concacaf Champions Cup –will be determined as their respective nations wrap up their domestic seasons.
A draw will be held on June 6 to divide the teams into two groups of five.
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