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Refs’ no-show shuts down JPL
March 03, 2025
The usual Sunday afternoon matches in the Jamaica Premier League were not played yesterday after referees refused to suit up because of money owed to them by the organisers of the league.
At about 10 p.m. on Saturday, communication from the referees indicated that the officials would not be 'available' for Sunday's games.
Chief executive officer of Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), Owen Hill, revealed that all attempts to get the officials on the field for yesterday's games proved futile.
He pointed out that since the turn of the year the volume of games has increased two-fold, with teams playing twice a week. However, the flow of funds has had to follow its regular cycle and this has created a burden on their finances.
There is also an issue with travel allowances, which Hill said needs to be vetted properly.
"We had some discussions with the (JFF) general secretary (Dennis Chung), representatives of the referees department and we were advised that the referees were available.
"A payment was even made last (Saturday) night with the assurance that they would have turned out. But efforts to get them out did not end in an amenable way," he said.
"Money is owed to them (referees). It is all coming from how we collect inflows. Sponsors give over the money and once it reaches we pay out to whosoever is to get the money. We haven't really received the money from the sponsors as yet. It normally comes in cycles and we have been trying to communicate in different ways.
"They (referees) were paid up to match week 20, in terms of fees. And it has not been weeks, because most times matches are played during the week. So you are racking up expenses faster than you are able to collect," he explained.
The bulk of the money owed, which is understood to be millions, is for travelling but Hill said some of those claims need to be reviewed.
"There are referees' fees and there is travelling. The travelling needs to be vetted. There are some discrepancies with travelling and it has been an age-old problem. So what we did was to do a check to find out what is really outstanding versus what they are saying," he noted.
Nevertheless, he said they are doing all they can to get the referees back on the field in the shortest possible time.
"We are hoping for a quick resolution. For the sake of the game. For the sake of the country. For the sake of the players and for the sake of all stakeholders involved. Hopefully, good sense prevails across the board," he added.
Chung, who has been mediating the situation, is hoping to have the matter resolved by today (Monday).
"We are aware of the situation and we are hoping to have a resolution to it in the morning. I was on the phone last (Saturday) night and just now (Sunday) and we have been meeting with the parties over the weekend and we are hoping to have a resolution tomorrow (today)," he said.
Efforts to get to head of the referees department, Cardella Samuels, were not successful.
