One door to be shut, another kept ajar
Published:Wednesday | October 8, 2025 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Our Reggae Boyz are in pole position for qualification for the 2026 World Cup Finals, and the collection of players which has been assembled over the last few years is finally showing signs of ‘gelling as a unit’.
A certain Mr Mason Greenwood who currently represents Olympique Marseille is a top-class player who has been courted by our local federation over the past few years, and who, at the time of writing, has struck a rich vein of form for his club in France.
He has obtained a Jamaican passport, but has continually refused to commit to representing us, a situation which has frustrated his former coach, and one who is now our national coach, Mr Steve McClaren.
It would appear to me that Greenwood still harbours hopes of a call-up by the current England boss, Thomas Tuchel, and hence is awaiting the announcement of the England squad for their remaining qualifying matches scheduled for October 9 and 14, and November 13 and 16 before making a decision.
A certain Mr Leon Bailey is already an established member of our squad, but truth be told, last year, even while performing well at club level, did so far below expectations at a national level.
Last year in an viral interview on Let’s be honest, he vented on a myriad of problems which he had experienced with our local federation. He did make, however, a number of statements which were incongruous, to say the least.
Comments such as :
– “Playing for Jamaica cannot give me any more exposure”.
– “When people come to watch football, they come to watch me”.
– “I am a humble Yute” but he followed that up with comments such as “some people cannot talk to me because we’re not on the same level”.
This year his form at club level has dropped significantly, and he has been loaned out to a club in Italy.
It is my opinion that Greenwood’s interest in representing our team is only for personal gain, and that the door of invitation to him should be shut and tightly bolted permanently.
It is also my opinion that that same door of invitation to Bailey should be kept ajar, as I feel that he has much to offer to our team.
JOHN ROYES