Cancelling the Jamaica Premier League is not an option, says PFJL chairman
UNDER normal circumstances the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) would be heading for its third round and teams would be jostling for positions to secure a spot in the play-offs and give themselves a chance to lift the coveted trophy.
But we are not living in normal times and as such a ball is yet to be kicked in Jamaica’s top flight league, or any other local league for that matter.
As the Government and the country grapple with a spike in numbers of COVID-19 cases on the island the possibilty of returning to sporting action grows more and more challenging. There have been calls by some for a cancellation of the JPL for a second-straight season but chairman of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), Chris Williams has dismissed that idea.
Speaking on television on Tuesday night, Williams cited the overwhelming negative impact that would result from a cancellation of the league.
“Cancelling the league has significant implications for our status with Concacaf and with Fifa that has significant, ongoing impact. Concacaf and Fifa have not allowed the participating countries to cancel their leagues; they have still instituted the obligation of executing your leagues, so that’s not an option.
“In addition to that, of course, is that this is a World Cup [qualification] year, and as you can see with the negotiations taking place, the options have to be increased because you don’t know whether or not you are going to be able to sign a player to represent the Reggae Boyz, so you have to increase the number of options available to the coach.
“So, within the context of both of those issues, cancelling the league is going to have significant impact on our national programme and that’s not something I would want to consider.
That’s something we will consider on Thursday [yesterday], but that would set us back significantly.”
With time no longer on their side, the PFJL has whittled down the proposed season to just one round — quarter-finals, semi-finals and final – something that could fit within the few remaining months of a probable season.
When quizzed on the possibility of getting leniency from the world governing body for football Fifa, should there be a cancellation, Williams said that Jamaica should expect no favours in that regard.
“There are several countries in Concacaf and around the world that are playing football, so we can’t ask them to treat us special because we are not managing our situation in a way that accommodates football,” Wiliams noted.
Additionally, the challenges being faced by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) as it relates to contract negotiations with members of the current squad are concerning, says Williams.
“The issue is that the coach needs options. We don’t know how the contract negotiations are going to go with the players, and especially the overseas-based players, so we need to have increased options for the local[ly] based players so I still don’t think that it’s in the best national interest to cancel,” said the financial executive.
The PFJL chairman says that he and his board are now in a wait-and-see mode before making a most crucial decision this week.
“I do recognise the challenges that we are facing and as such, we have proposed an option to the Government that we think removes the risk almost entirely, if not entirely, so we are awaiting feedback on that presentation,” Williams noted.
The PFJL is expected to make a definitive statement on the league some time today.