GRANGE BACKS JFF

Minister of Sports Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange has backed the decision by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to cancel the 2019-2020 football season at all levels.

President of the JFF Michael Ricketts announced last Friday that the decision to cancel the football season was taken to protect the well-being of stakeholders amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in Jamaica.

As of Tuesday, Jamaica had 520 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. One hundred and forty-five persons had recovered while there have been nine deaths.

Grange told STAR Sports that the athletes’ health comes first and, therefore, the cancellation of the football season is a wise move by the JFF. “I support the decision because I have to recognise the role that the JFF plays, as the entity that is in overall charge of football, and their decision would have been informed by the current situation and the reality of situation of the clubs being able to find adequate funds to carry through to the rest of the season,” said Grange.

“I think it was a wise decision, and I have engaged in discussions with the president of the JFF and the chairman of the PLCA (Premier League Clubs Association) for them to arrive at a mutual understanding as to why this action was necessary,” she said.

GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS

Grange underlined that other sporting associations that are planning to restart their events should follow the guidelines and protocols which have been established by the Government of Jamaica.

“I think athletes’ health and wellbeing comes first, and one would have to take into consideration the current environment and the impact of COVID-19,” said Grange.

“We will have to follow guidelines established by the Government and take our cue from the Government in determining when we open up and go back to full activity,” said the sports minister.

“We have to be cautious and give full consideration to all areas to determine what we do and when we do it,” she said.