Turmoil in Jamaican camp
Players demand resignation of JFF general secretary Dalton Wint
Published:Monday | June 6, 2022 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s senior footballers and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) are at loggerheads following faulty travel arrangements for the team to and from Suriname for their Concacaf Nations Cup game in Paramaribo last Saturday. The upset players have demanded the resignation of general secretary Dalton Wint.
In a voice note obtained by The Gleaner, Toulouse FC forward Junior Flemmings spoke on behalf of the players.
“Mr President, we need to hear this ... ,” Flemmings said to JFF president Michael Ricketts in a meeting before Saturday’s game.
“What do you want to hear?” Ricketts replied. Flemmings continued: “On behalf of the team, the captain and vice-captain, we are asking for Mr (Dalton) Wint to resign. That is the only way we move forward.”
Some senior players missed the trip to Suriname because of the inept travelling arrangements, for which the general-secretary was blamed. They have also given Wint an ultimatum to resign by Tuesday or they will not take the field for the return game against Suriname.
The team was scheduled to leave Suriname late Saturday, via Trinidad and Tobago, but those arrangements were cancelled and the disgruntled players expressed their displeasure.
The Gleaner understands that Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) chairman Christopher Williams came to the rescue at the last minute and helped to arrange airfare.
The team was due to return home on a shared charter flight with the Suriname team yesterday, but due to the JFF’s inability to meet the cost, the bookings were cancelled. As a result, Williams, who is also chief executive officer of financial company Proven, was called in at the eleventh hour for assistance.
“Chris Williams had to provide the funding for the charter to come back home,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. “He was contacted and told that the aircraft was not going to take off without funds. The call came from the highest level, asking him to assist, and he had to jump around to get things organised to pay for the aircraft,” the source disclosed.
With the original travel arrangement cancelled, the federation was forced to engage a new charter. However, that flight needed permits for landing in Panama (for refuelling), Suriname, and Jamaica and overflight permits for Venezuela. The JFF requested diplomatic assistance to get the various clearances.
NO COMMENT
When contacted, Williams said he was not interested in discussing national football matters and had no comment. Efforts to also get in touch with Wint, Ricketts, team manager Roy Simpson and coach Hall were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, reports also surfaced that Paul Hall, who is only two matches into his second stint as coach, was so upset by the series of events that he considered handing in his resignation.
However, JFF press officer Earl Bailey revealed that Hall was scheduled to return to Jamaica with the team and will speak to the media in a scheduled press conference today. The charter carrying the Jamaican football delegation is scheduled to leave Suriname at 4:17 a.m. and arrive in Jamaica at 6:05 a.m.
In the Nations Cup game on Saturday, the Reggae Boyz took the lead but then had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Junior Flemmings fired the Jamaicans in front in the 39th minute, but goalkeeper Amal Knight’s own goal gave Suriname a share of the points.
The teams will meet again in the return game tomorrow at the National Stadium at 8 p.m.