No spectators for Reggae Boyz World Cup qualifier against Panama

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says that while spectators will not return to the National Stadium for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he is cautiously optimistic about their return for future games.

Ricketts confirmed that the first World Cup qualifying game against Panama at the National Stadium on September 5 will be played without spectators. The decision comes as Jamaica is experiencing a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, which has led to the recent tightening of curfew hours by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

In June, Ricketts said he wanted 5,000 fans in the stadium for the match, but at that time, the daily number of cases was still in double digits. However, yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported 656 new cases for Saturday, a positivity rate of 38.4 per cent and 15 fatalities, numbers that Ricketts said left them no choice but to push back the timeline on spectators returning.

"This was certainly beyond our reach and it is unfortunate because we would have loved to have some support in the stadium," Ricketts told The Gleaner. "Initially, we toyed with the idea of only having vaccinated persons in the stadium, but with this spike, which really seems to be getting out of hand, we have to take the nation's well-being to heart.

"So we will not be having spectators in the stadium for the first game against Panama on September 5, but we certainly will see what will happen thereafter."

Sport Minister Olivia Grange confirmed that the JFF has received approval for the Panama game, however, she says that they will be fine-tuning details regarding the time for kick-off in light of possible curfew restrictions that could be instituted next month.

Jamaica are scheduled to host two other games this year in the final round against Canada on October 10 and the United States on November 16. Grange was non-committal about the approvals for those games as well as the rest of the home slate in 2022, however, she says that they are monitoring the situation.

"It is an unpredictable situation, so I could not make that commitment, but everything is taken into consideration as we go along," Grange said.

Grange said that the JFF is preparing requests for the remainder of the 2021 home fixtures, and Ricketts says that they are taking a cautious approach regarding how soon spectators can return.

"We will wait to see what happens as it relates to the COVID numbers and, of course, what Government protocol changes [are made]," he said. "There is still nothing cast in stone because we are still unsure of what the COVID regulations will be [by that time]."

Sports medicine specialist Dr Paul Wright has welcomed the move to bar spectators for the Reggae Boyz's first home game and says that should the situation not improve after that, moving to a neutral venue will have to be considered.

"[Among] the unvaccinated, the virus is allowed to morph, to change, and that is that the virus is resistant to other forms of treatment and gets us into serious problems," Wright said. "If this thing continues in the third wave, and if the positivity rate [remains] at over 30 per cent, I think we have to look at the games [being played] overseas."

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com