JFF apologises to Reggae Girlz stranded in the US over lack of funds Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

Stung by the criticism that another team on national duty was left stranded overseas due to inadequate travel arrangements on its part, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has apologised “unreservedly to members of the senior women’s football team and technical staff who faced embarrassing challenges in respect of movement of luggage on July 19 as they travelled home”.

Reports surfaced in the media on Tuesday that the Reggae Girlz, who earlier this month qualified for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, were delayed in Houston, Texas in the United States, en route from Mexico, because there was not enough money to clear their luggage.

They reportedly missed their connecting flight to Miami as a result.

While funds were eventually provided to clear the luggage and members of the team were able to travel on Tuesday, two members of the technical staff remained in Houston with the luggage and made arrangements to travel home Wednesday.

Khadija Shaw was vocal about being stranded in the USA.

Still, there are further reports that some members of the team and staff who wanted to travel with their luggage, paid from their pockets to have their bags cleared.

Not amused by the development, team captain and star player Khadija Shaw took to her Instagram page to highlight the team’s travel woes.

“Less than 24 hours after finishing a successful tournament and qualifying for back-to-back World Cups, only to arrive at the airport to be stuck with 24 pieces of bags and no funds to pay for them. JFF how are we getting home?” she said.

In its statement, the JFF said: “Quite frankly, after their historic achievement of qualifying for consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments that experience should not have happened.

“We recognise that there have been recurring problems with travel arrangements of our national teams’ movement and commit to doing all within our power and control to correct these incidents.

“Once again our deepest regrets, including football supporters who expressed concerns.”

In June, the JFF and by extension the country were embarrassed after the Reggae Boyz were left stranded in Suriname after playing that country’s national team in a Concacaf Nation’s League match. In response, the Boyz demanded the resignation of JFF General Secretary Dalton Wint who they blamed for the situation.

The players were left embarrassed when they realised they did not have a return flight to Kingston, having been told that they would have shared a charter plane with the Suriname national team back to Jamaica for their return leg match.

However, the JFF failed to come up with its share of the cost of the flight, leaving the players stranded in Suriname.

It took the intervention of the Minister of Sport, Olivia Grange for chairman of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited, Christopher Williams, to front the US$105,000 that it took to secure a charter flight to get the team out of Suriname.

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