Latest News
JFF suspends selection of winger Bailey
June 27, 2024
THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has moved to suspend the selection of Leon Bailey for the national senior team.
Dennis Chung, general secretary of the JFF, stated that this move was done to eradicate any further misleading information that could arise.
"We think it's important to do it and also the player stated that he's unavailable. Therefore, in order to ensure that there's no more miscommunication we thought that the best thing to do until we resolve everything is to suspend his selection. We also stated to the player that whenever he's ready, he should write to us so that we don't leave anything to misinterpretation," Chung explained.
Bailey was initially announced as part of the Copa America squad, but his inclusion brought with it some controversy, as the player responded to the announcement on social media, calling the release 'misleading'. Craig Butler, Bailey's manager, responded to the announcement by saying Bailey's position on taking a break to be with family and to take care of his mental health had not changed.
According to Chung, a timeline wasn't given in a bid to avoid having uncertainty as to when Bailey would be available for selection. Hence, the general secretary stated that it was fair, in his opinion, to leave the decision in Bailey's hands to state to the JFF in writing as to when he'll be available for selection.
"We are facilitating what the player has asked for in requesting a break from national duties. We couldn't put a timeline on the disciplinary and ethics committee, also we didn't want to put a timeline on the player, therefore the timeline would be when he writes to us and state that he's available now. What if we say we're doing it for a week or six months and then he's not ready? That would create the same problem again so putting a timeline wasn't practical," Chung added.
The 26-year-old who plays in the English Premier League for Aston Villa has had a long history of battles with the JFF even prior to his debut back in 2019. Chung suggested that this move by the governing body is a step in the right direction as it provides clarity.
"We just have to do what's best for the football. I think this will help as it will provide clarity as one of the challenges that we've had in the past is that clarity wasn't there. If you don't do that then you'll never get to a better place," Chung said.
