Enough is enough!
Published:Tuesday | November 20, 2018 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Forgive me for sounding foolish but I fail to fathom the fascination fostered by the fickle Jamaican football fans and fraternity alike with this Leon Bailey fellow.
Having heard of conditions being stipulated -- first by Leon Bailey's father and then by Leon Bailey himself -- for him to consider playing for Jamaica, it has left a bad taste in my mouth. Just imagine the precedent that would be set here? Jamaica's football is bigger than any one individual. The fact that the football federation is still considering him is indicative of the quality of their leadership, or lack thereof.
I do not believe I am singular in my belief that Leon Bailey, talented as he is touted to be, is nowhere near as good as the Argentinean Lionel Messi. Now despite the presence of this footballer in the Argentina football team, who some argue is the greatest of all time, and a supporting cast of players who are no slouches themselves, how far did the team go in the recently-concluded World Cup finals?
How much better would a Jamaican squad be with the inclusion of a Lionel Messi in its ranks? For that matter how much better would a Jamaican squad be with the inclusion of a Leon Bailey? Do players with international caps stand a better chance of being in the starting line-up for their respective clubs than those without? What does one suppose are the thoughts of that player currently holding down the position Leon Bailey is supposed to be parachuted into?
I strongly suspect Bailey stands to benefit more than Jamaica would were he to play for Jamaica. Methinks also that had the goodly gentleman genuinely wanted to play for Jamaica and represent his country, we would have seen him don the colours long ago. At the end of the day, football is still a team sport, and at this stage of the game Bailey would be little more than a disruptive force if admitted to the ranks of the Jamaica national football team. Let him go play for those other countries that are beating down his door for him to represent them.
Robert Mitchell,
Box 191 Christiana P.O.,