Ricketts pleased with Bailey’s return

PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Michael Ricketts revealed that Aston Villa ace, Leon Bailey, who was included in Steve McClaren’s Reggae Boyz squad to face Cuba in a Concacaf Nations League game at the National Stadium next Friday, indicated his availability in writing to the JFF.

Ricketts pointed out that, as stipulated by the federation, players must make their availability known in a formal way and that the player has declared his commitment to the national programme.

“Leon actually put it in writing that he is committed and he is willing and ready to play. You can’t ask for anything else.

“Like the coach said, we want to have the best players. Whether you live here or you are from the diaspora, we want to always be competitive on the field of play.

“So we gave the coach the latitude to discuss with the players and make a decision based on the document that was submitted by Leon, and I think the coach is within his right to select Leon,” he said.

According to Ricketts, the player also received overwhelming support from his teammates.

“The coach would have had some discussions with him, and he would have had discussions with the other players. I am pretty certain some of them (players) would have been uncomfortable with the comments that were made.

“But by having discussions with the players, and they were willing to embrace Leon, the process is good and I am satisfied with the process,” he continued.

General secretary Dennis Chung initially stated that Bailey needed to make his availability known in writing. However, chairman of the technical committee, Rudolph Speid, came out after to say the players only need to make their availability known in a formal way, and Ricketts attempted to explain the confusion.

“It’s mixed signals because the gen sec did go public and say he was unofficially suspended until he would have made himself available, by formally saying I am ready, and that was done. I am not sure of the sequence.

“But he did write to say, I am available. And based on the fact that the coach would have had some discussions with him and with the other players. I thought the way was clear for him to be brought in.

“It’s probably a lack of communication between both gentlemen (Chung and Speid), because I think it was clear, that the gen sec did say for him to be selected he must make himself available.”

Nevertheless, he believes the situation has worked out for the better.

“We need to go with what has happened. That he wrote and the letter was accepted and he has been selected.

“The gen sec repeatedly said publicly that we expect him to be selected, that he must say I am available and I want to play because we did not want to have a repetition of what would have happened prior to all of this, when he was selected and he turned around to say he was unavailable. So he wrote to say he was available and based on that, he was selected.”

He added also that the player’s commitment to country and the Reggae Boyz was never in question.

“Leon had said to me before all of this that every time he goes out on the field he wants to represent his country at the highest. ‘I love my country. I want to play for my country. I want to be the best for my country,’ those are the words he said.

“So let’s see what happen from here on. We are just excited about the prospects and I am quite confident that the team will from here on represent the country well.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

The full squad reads:

Goalkeepers: Andre Blake, Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Jahmali Waite.

Defenders: Dexter Lembikisa, Di’Shon Bernard, Greg Leigh, Damion Lowe, Micheal Hector, Richard King, Amari’i Bell, Joel Lattibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock.

Midfielders: Kasey Palmer, Karoy Anderson, Bobby Reid, Jon Russell, Adrian Reid jr.

Forwards: Shamar Nicholson, Norman Campbell, Michel Antonio, Demarai Gray, Kaheim Dixon and Leon Bailey