Goodison axed!
Published:Saturday | May 28, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Veteran defender Ian 'Pepe' Goodison was axed from the Reggae Boyz squad ahead of next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup, after missing the training camp currently under way in Brazil.
After arriving from England, Goodison was expected to depart the island on Thursday, along with Jason Morrison, Dwayne Miller, Rudolph Austin and Dane Richards.
However, he failed to make the flight.
As a result, national head coach, Theodore Whitmore, via a press release yesterday, announced that Goodison was dropped from the squad as no player could be allowed to be bigger than the team.
Attending the camp had been branded as mandatory by the Jamaica Football Federation.
"The days of players doing as they please with the national programme are over," Whitmore was quoted in the release.
He added: "This is the case, no matter who the player is, regardless of his experience or standing, no one is bigger than the team. The door is never closed to any national player, but this is a lost opportunity for Mr Goodison."
The 38-year-old defender was a surprise selection for the squad, after not representing Jamaica since the 2009 qualifiers.