President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Michael Ricketts, says the body has cleared over JA$300 million in debt they owed to the Jamaican Government since he took office for the first time seven years ago.

Ricketts had defeated Stewart Stephenson to complete the JFF’s 2015-19 term after the death of then-president Captain Horace Burrell in 2017 before being re-elected for his first full term in 2019.

“We have made significant progress as it relates to our fiscal management. So far, we are in a far better position now than when we were when we got into office,” Ricketts told Sportsmax.tv last week at the unveiling of the Reggae Boyz squad for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Nicaragua and Honduras.

“When we got into office I think we were indebted to the Government to the tune of over $400 million. When we took over, we we’re very intent on getting that figure down. We have cut that to $90 million and certainly, we are on track to make that $0 by the end of the year,” he added.

Ricketts also noted that, for the first time in over a decade, the JFF has been issued a tax compliance certificate.

When asked about the steps taken to achieve this fiscal improvement, Ricketts gave credit to the federations finance committee as well as General Secretary, Dennis Chung and Technical Committee Chairman, Rudolph Speid.

“I must commend our finance committee. They’ve been very strong. We’ve gotten support, of course, from our parent organizations, more so FIFA, CONCACAF and CFU. We’ve had sponsors on board like Adidas who have given us major support both financially and from an equipment standpoint,” he said.

“We have been doing very well. We have a Gen Sec in Dennis Chung who is an accountant. Rudolph Speid, our Technical Committee Chairman, is an accountant so these gentlemen have been very integral in the process of our fiscal management,” Ricketts added.

The Jamaican football community is in mourning following the sudden passing of longtime referee Wilverglen Lamey, who collapsed and tragically died while officiating a match on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Lamey, a well-respected figure in Jamaican football, collapsed about 15 minutes into a Business House semi-final match between Metrodade Security and Seprod at the Alpha Institute. Despite efforts to rush him to the Kingston Public Hospital, he passed away.

 The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Kingston and St. Andrew Business House Football Association (BHFA), and Waterhouse Football Club have all expressed profound grief and sorrow at the news of his untimely death.

 JFF President Michael Ricketts conveyed the federation’s devastation at the loss of such a committed servant of the game. “Mr. Lamey was a familiar face in games throughout the country. He was always ready to go in the middle in just about any competition. He served quietly and respectfully, ensuring that the games were held without disrepute. Sincere condolences to his family, friends, and the referee fraternity. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Ricketts said.

 The Kingston and St. Andrew Business House Football Association (BHFA), under which Lamey was officiating at the time of his collapse, also expressed its deep sorrow at the loss. BHFA President Wayne Shaw reflected on Lamey’s passion for refereeing and his impact on the game over the decades. “I have known Mr. Lamey for over 22 years. He was one of the most dedicated referees I have ever met. He loved what he did, and his passion for the game was evident in every match he officiated. He will surely be missed,” Shaw said, adding that Lamey’s death has left the entire football fraternity in shock.

 The BHFA also encouraged the football community to rally around Lamey’s grieving family in this difficult time, acknowledging the deep impact his sudden passing has had on those who knew and respected him.

 Waterhouse Football Club, a team familiar with Lamey’s refereeing, also issued a heartfelt statement honoring his memory. “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former FIFA referee Wilverglen Lamey. His dedication to the sport and his commitment to fairness on the field left a lasting impact on the football community. Wilverglen's passion for the game and his unwavering integrity as a referee will always be remembered. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched. He will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Wilverglen.”

 Lamey’s long-standing dedication to the sport saw him officiating at every level of the game in Jamaica, earning the respect of players, coaches, and his fellow referees. His sudden passing leaves a void in the football community, but his contributions and passion for the game will not be forgotten

As they continue to bask in the impressive run by the young Reggae Boyz at the just-concluded Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 Challenge Series, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts and General Secretary Dennis Chung are setting their sights on the future.

In fact, both underscored the importance of sustained development to ensure the team’s continued success as they progress toward higher levels of competition, including a possible FIFA Under-17 World Cup qualification.

The Andrew Peart-coached young Reggae Boyz clinched the CFU title with a 7-1 hammering of French Guiana in the final in what was an exceptional display of talent and cohesiveness throughout the tournament hosted in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, both Ricketts and Chung recognize that winning this title—the first for the country in a while—is just the beginning. The challenge now is to maintain the momentum, ensuring these players are nurtured and developed as they transition to the Under-17 level and beyond.

“Congratulations, coach Peart. You have shown the highest level of commitment to this program, and we want to assure you that the JFF will give you as much support as we can to ensure that there is some longevity, there is major productivity, and that the process will continue leading up to our Under-17 qualification for the World Cup,” Ricketts declared during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Ricketts spoke passionately about plotting a strategic approach for player development and, by extension, the need to keep players active and together as they transition to the next level.

“When you participate in a competition with 23 teams and you come out scoring 25 goals and conceding two, it is indeed impressive. This is something that will put us in a situation where we will now have to put in place a contingency plan to ensure that all of our teams, from 14 up to 17, are, of course, in training so that we can all make that transition from 14 to 15, 15 to 16, and 16 to 17.

“That certainly will present a huge challenge, but just like how we were able to be successful in our journey just completed, I think we can achieve success at other levels,” Ricketts reasoned.

“What we really need is for private sector, the government, and, of course, our parent organizations to come on board because we want to certainly qualify for the Under-17 World Cup next year and we want to run up a sequence of qualifications. But we must have an organized plan in place to ensure that the U-14s make the transition, likewise, U-15 and U-16, so that every year we can participate in this global tournament,” he added as he alluded to the support provided by FIFA for the U-14 campaign through its Talent Development Scheme (TDS) program.

Chung also highlighted the importance of continuity, as he pointed out to the fact that Jamaica’s winning team was made up solely of local-based players.

“Nobody came from overseas, which shows that we have the talent here. If we put the infrastructure in place to hold everyone together, then we could be producing the world class footballers, just like athletics now locally is producing the world-class athletic stars. That's our intent to the program,” Chung stated.

He stressed that the focus should be targeted on ensuring these players continue to build together as a unit and strengthen their chances for future successes.

“Everything that you see here is based on strategic decisions that have been taken, the work that we've been doing to grow things incrementally and have cumulative benefits. We want to ensure that this Under-14 team is the one that goes on, after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, that will qualify also for the 2030 World Cup and continue that going forward. This success doesn't come just overnight; this is something that is coming from a seed that was planted just over a year ago,” Chung explained.

Meanwhile, Peart believes that with dedicated leadership and a clear roadmap, the future looks bright for the young Reggae Boyz, as their performances are not to be taken lightly.

“The quality of opposition we played against was really at a good level for Under-15s. When you look at Trinidad and Tobago or Puerto Rico, with an influx of diaspora players from the United States, and Aruba, who had players coming down from the Netherlands, the quality was really good,” Peart declared.

The Jamaica Football Federation expressed great elation after the country’s National U14 Team clinched the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under 14 Challenger Series in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend.

Jamaica capped a dominant display throughout the tournament by defeating French Guiana 7-1 in the final at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago on Sunday.

In the 6 matches played, Jamaica scored 25 goals and only conceded two with only one of them coming from open play.

Their results in the tournament were as follows: 2-0 vs St. Kitts & Nevis, 6-0 vs Aruba, 2-0 vs Trinidad & Tobago, 5-0 vs Aruba, 3-1 vs Puerto Rico and 7-1 vs French Guiana.

President of the Jamaica Football Federation Michael Ricketts expressed commendation for the team and the coaching staff in a press release on Monday.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to our National U14 team for their performances in the recently concluded CFU U14 Challenger Series in Trinidad and Tobago. I would like to commend the players for their grit and determination and work rate as they played 6 matches in just over a week.”

He continued: “I would also like to congratulate Coach Andrew Peart and his staff for their hard work in preparing the team for the tournament and I am so delighted that it has paid off and it is a good feeling knowing that we will be returning to Jamaica with a trophy.”

General Secretary of the JFF Mr. Dennis Chung also shared commendation for the team.

“I would like to congratulate the U14 Team on being crowned champions of the Tier 1 group, and also commend the staff. This performance is a result of the deliberate effort to adopt the FIFA TDS programme, which is already bearing some fruit.”

With the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) schoolboy football competitions serving as a feeder for the country's youth programmes, President Keith Wellington believes it is only fair that the schools' efforts are recognised when their respective players are called up for national duties.

Wellington's aired his grievances, as he is of the view that when Manning and daCosta Cup players are mentioned for national duties, they are recognised by their club affiliation and not necessarily by the schools they represent. 

As such, he called on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to be mindful of this and, by extension, to show the schools and ISSA more respect for their contributions in nurturing and developing these young talents.

“It would be nice when our national youth teams are named; you recognise the schools that these young men come from because we invest so much in them,” Wellington said during the schoolboy football competitions launch at the Stadium East on Wednesday.

“No disrespect to Mr [Rudolph] Speid and other club owners but when a young man turns up to attend national training, the first place he goes is to his coach or principal to say ‘Sir, I don’t have a boots’ or ‘I need fair to go to camp.’

“So give us a little respect and at least say that this boy played for Clarendon College or Mona High in the ISSA competitions because the truth is, without it, as bad Jamaica’s football is now, it would be worse. I’m asking our partners, the JFF, to give us some credit,” he added.

Wellington also urged the Michael Ricketts-led JFF to do their part in assisting ISSA to improve the schoolboy football product.

“Help our competitions be better. Train more referees so we don’t have to take our kids out of school on a Monday to play a match because we have to be spreading the games over five or six days of the week — focus on that,” a seemingly peeved Wellington stated.