Column: Sorry Jamaica situation continues unedifying World Cup build-up
Jamaica players released a statement on Thursday night criticising the continued lack of support from their federation, just a month before the World Cup begins.
With just over a month to go until the 2023 World Cup, Jamaica's players have found it necessary to release a joint statement criticising - not for the first time - the lack of support from their federation ahead of the tournament.
The statement used terms such as "utmost disappointment" towards the JFF, stating players had tried to sit down with the federation multiple times to express concerns around "subpar planning, transportation, accommodation, nutrition, and accessibility to proper resources".
It continued to expose the federation for not paying contractually agreed compensation and that those questions have gone unanswered and they have missed several friendly windows in the build-up to the tournament, playing Barclays Women's Championship side Sheffield United in April.
The team has just one friendly before the tournament and it comes just four days before the World Cup begins against Morocco in New Zealand, and that's not good enough for a national team already up against it.
While Jamaica holds some unquestionable talent within its ranks, such as Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, they aren't expected to be a threat to the latter stages of the tournament, but this lack of preparation is only further hindering their chances though. Placed in a group with France and Brazil, it's a tough enough task it is.
The winder point though is how unacceptable this is, and it continues a messy build-up to FIFA's biggest tournament of them all. They are not the first team to express concerns about the support they're getting from the federation, with even Olympic champions Canada being forced to come together a couple of months ago to release a similar statement.
FIFA has opened this World Cup up to 32 teams for the first time, and that in reality has provided some great stories with eight new nations qualifying for the first time, but continues to expose the gap between the haves and have nots.
While some federations are flying their teams out weeks in advance, with a proper programme and competitive friendlies, others are doing the bare minimum, but at least they're doing something.
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Jamaica's women's team disbanded just 15 years ago and only restarted less than a decade ago, with most of the financial support coming from Cedella Marley, daughter of Bob, and without her it's fair to say the Reggae Girlz would not be where they are now, with Marley helping the JFF to save face with the team now qualifying for the World Cup for a second tournament in a row.
When the team came back together in 2014, Marley created a fundraising programme to raise money for training camps, expenses and everything else that came with running a team, and the fact the players are now once again launching a gofundme in 2023 and not being able to rely on their federation, is shocking.
Haiti in comparison, a fellow CONCACAF member who has qualified for the first time, and one of the poorest nations in the world, are going to Switzerland for a pre-tournament camp and then onto South Korea before arriving down under. If they can do it, there's no reason Jamaica, or anyone else, shouldn't be able to.
The Philippines, who have also qualified for the first time and only really started to piece a senior team together a few years ago made up of largely college students from the USA and a few professionals dotted around the world, have also enjoyed an extensive pre-tournament preparation camp.
Add to this the now resolved dispute between FIFA and broadcasters around Europe regarding TV deals, deals which have now only just been signed and sealed over a month before the tournament, and the club vs country battle brought on by the ECA and its members standing firm over the release date for players, and it's been an unedifying build-up to the tournament.
European champions England have been at the centre of that battle, with players being pushed and pulled between their clubs and their nation over a mere four days difference in camp ahead of the tournament, while some clubs such as Bayern Munich are standing firm on not releasing their players until 23rd June.
Finally, BBC and ITV confirmed they will broadcast all 64 of the games at the World Cup, while France, Spain, Germany and Italy also confirmed deals, but in Spain only 25 games will be shown, while details of other deals remain unknown.
There's still a lot of work to do as the top nations come to terms with the ever-increasing demands of professional football with the women's game growing all the time, and there's a lot to do at the bottom where some are still ticking along with a disregard for the success their women's teams are bringing them.
For Jamaica to dismiss its women's team so much given their relative success and the players they have produced deserves so much better, but sadly they won't be the last.