Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren has hinted at the need for the Jamaican Government to step in and accelerate the processing of citizenship documents for England-born players eligible to represent Jamaica, as he warned that bureaucratic delays could cost the national team critical reinforcements ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Among the high-profile names caught in red tape is former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, whose potential switch to Jamaica has stirred excitement among fans but remains stalled by administrative hurdles.
"This has been the question on everyone’s lips for the past eight months. All I can say is that during the last period especially, we've been working hard on recruitment, and as I said, not looking in the past, but looking to the future and looking to players that will not just play for Jamaica now, but for many years going forward.
"So we have four or five players in the process of acquiring a passport to be able to play for Jamaica, and there's no secret in the fact that Mason Greenwood is one of them,” McClaren revealed during a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Mason Greenwood still awaiting documents.
McClaren pointed out that, despite active engagement, delays from local authorities — particularly the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA)—are slowing the momentum, as Greenwood, who is currently with Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, and others attempt to finalize their eligibility.
"When I came in, there were quite a few players who had been waiting up to 18 months for a passport and still hadn’t gotten it. That's just not sustainable. Football moves fast, so I've been saying all along that this process should be easier, should be smoother,” McClaren argued.
"If you want the best players to improve your country, that means the government should be assisting in making the process easier to acquire people who can play for Jamaica. Players who will get this team into the World Cup, which would create such an excitement among the locals because we've all seen that since 98,” he added.
Isaac Hayden among those that recently secured documents.
McClaren’s call to action comes at a critical time for the Reggae Boyz, as the World Cup qualifying campaign enters a decisive phase. Though the Boyz are on the cusp of progressing to the next round of the qualifiers, the Englishman highlighted that the inclusion of high-caliber talent like Greenwood and others could make the difference between qualifying or missing out.
They currently sit second in Group E on six points, the same as leaders Guatemala, who they host on June 10 after a visit to the British Virgin Islands on June 7. The top two teams from each group will make up the final 12 to battle for three automatic spots to the 2026 showpiece, while the two best-ranked runners-up will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
"We've got to move forward and find the next best player on the island or the next best that we can bring into this squad for the future, for the next six months, which are going to be so important. So it's a matter of, do we keep working with the process and keep talking to these players, but we have a deadline where we do need some players to come into this country and get their passport,” McClaren said.
Lewis Baker named in provisional Gold Cup squad.
According to McClaren, steps are being taken to streamline some of the administrative tasks by initiating documentation in the United Kingdom before flying players to Jamaica for final processing, a method that has proven effective in recent cases.
“We've done that to a couple of players now in terms of Isaac Hayden, Lewis Baker, and Malik Mothersille from Peterborough. So we need to quicken the process because there are four or five players definitely on our list who we're hoping to acquire passports for so that they come on board for the September, October, and November group stages of the World Cup, which we hope we qualify for next month,” he ended.