Tarania Clarke, midfielder for Jamaica's Reggae Girlz, killed in Kingston stabbing
Authorities in Jamaica say a member of the women’s national soccer team has been stabbed to death.
Police said Friday that 20-year-old Tarania Clarke was killed during a fight with another woman over a cellphone. The stabbing occurred late Thursday in the capital of Kingston.
Officials say the unidentified woman has been detained.
Clarke, a midfielder who was also captain of the Waterhouse FC in Jamaica’s Women’s League, had just made her senior international debut for the Reggae Girlz in September, scoring a goal in a 12-1 win over Cuba in an Olympic qualifying match.
Michael Ricketts, president of Jamaica’s football federation, said he was “deeply saddened” in a statement.
“This was a young lady who has shown much potential and was very pleasant, warm and had real potential to make it at the highest level,” Ricketts said. “She was very much a part of the Reggae Girlz squad during the recent Olympic qualifiers and did make an impact.
“I offer condolences to the family and friends of young Clarke.”
Xavier Gilbert, Clarke’s coach at Excelsior high school, told Jamaicabased cable TV station SportsMax that she was planning on moving to the United States in January to attend university in Florida pending the completion of her paperwork.
“We were very close. She was captain for the last three years and was a wonderful leader, a wonderful person,” he told the network. “It hurts right now. It’s really sad. She did not deserve this. This really rough right now.”