It will be hard to save RSPL season – Wint

General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Dalton Wint says that the impact of the coronavirus means that it will be very difficult to salvage the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season.

However, he believes that the hexagonal (final) round of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, which is set to begin in June, will go ahead as scheduled.

“The Premier League (RSPL) season looks very unlikely. It can be saved, but it looks unlikely that it will be completed. I am hearing that the peak (of the coronavirus) will be in another month. How can clubs continue to maintain themselves for another month?” Wint questioned.

The Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) held preliminary discussions on the way forward last week, and the RSPL will remain suspended until April 30. However, Wint hopes that the PLCA will not make any hasty and premature decisions as he estimates that if the league is scrapped, it could have serious repercussions.

“We need to have a wait-and-see attitude. What you don’t want to do is lock it down prematurely. It’s (RSPL) – a huge investment – and it (cancel season) will have a huge impact on how we administrate the sport going forward, so they (PLCA) have to be sure of what they are doing before we can make any decision,” Wint stated.

However, he believes that the region will recover from the virus in time to for start of the World Cup qualifiers.

“It is something that will pass. It will take some time, but if we don’t do the right things, it will prolong and make our lives a little harder. So we have to follow the recommendations and ride through the storm, but I think the World Cup qualifiers will be OK,” Wint added.