Jamaica’s Women’s World Cup Players Criticize Federation Over Concerns

The Jamaica women’s national team criticized the country’s soccer federation for its lack of support in the team’s preparation for the Women’s World Cup, saying the players’ concerns had gone unresolved.

The players expressed their disappointment at the Jamaica Football Federation in a joint statement on social media, which was shared by key players including Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw and Chicago Red Stars’ Cheyna Matthews.

The statement highlighted issues relating to planning, training conditions and compensation.

Forbes has reached out to the Jamaica Football Federation for comment.

“At a time where we should be focused solely on preparing to compete on the world’s largest stage, we are unfortunately compelled to express our utmost disappointment with the Jamaica Football Federation,” the players said, according to the joint statement.

“On multiple occasions, we have sat down with the federation to respectfully address concerns resulting from sub-par planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition, and accessibility to proper resources.

“We have also showed up repeatedly without receiving contractually agreed upon compensation. We were told that all our requests and concerns would be resolved in a timely manner. Unfortunately, that time has expired and once again our questions go unanswered and our concerns unresolved.”

Jamaica, nicknamed the “Reggae Girlz”, will make only their second World Cup appearance when they play in Australia and New Zealand at the July 20-August 20 tournament. They are in Group F with France, Brazil and Panama.

Jamaica lost all three games and finished bottom of their group at the 2019 World Cup in France.

The players’ joint statement also said that the team has missed playing several friendlies due to the “extreme disorganization” of the camp logistics, which could ultimately impact their preparation for the World Cup.

“The Reggae Girlz consist of professional and collegiate footballers who are spread out across the world. To be left questioning whether a camp will even take place two to three days before the expected start is unprofessional and often unfairly prohibitive for some of our players,” the statement added.

“We hope that by using our platforms to express the reality of our situation, our efforts will be reciprocated. We hope there will be immediate and systematic change within our federation and those in charge of protecting the integrity of women’s football.”

Soccer’s governing body FIFA last month said that players at the Women’s World Cup will earn individual fees directly from it for the first time, with the winning team’s players set to receive $270,000 each, while each individual competing in the group stage will earn $30,000.