National Under 15 team cant get visas

[Sickko]

U-15 Tournament

Efforts by the Jamaica Football Federation to secure appointments to seek emergency visas for the National U-15 Team have not been successful. Online applications for visas resulted in November appointments. Visits by a JFF officer to the embassy still did not result in early appointments.

As agreed between the Federation and the CFU, Referee Kevin Morrison who was a part of the original delegation, will travel to Trinidad to officiate in the tournament.
__________

This is a damn shame, I recall talking to Jackie Walters in June and he was excited for this set of boys as he said they could be the best set of Under 15s from the country in a very long time.

He said the scouting had been extensive and he had gone to the hills and the valleys to find these boys who he said would have done the country proud.

I wondered why did he then wait so long to trim the squad and get the paper works sorted out.

I am also quite upset with the US Embassy's attitude these last few years. They being here is not to do us any favours but the relationship is a symbiotic one and they need to be more flexible when it comes to national teams.

A few weeks or so ago their rigidity forced us to go to the Junior Pan-American Games without 10 members and now they will cause the Under 15 team to miss a tournament.

Fyah bun babylon...

[Gamma]

maybe they are not particularly interested in helping us try to beat them! btw where is the tournament to be held?

[Sickko]

T&T- but they need to fly through Miami..cant wait for direct flights between Jamaica and South America.

[Gamma]

why don't they fly through the eastern caribbean? less direct perhaps cost a little more but that way they get there. fly to antigua and then there are direct flights to T&T

[Brush]

Is it possible to charter a direct flight to T&T?

[Mosiah]

I guess the JAAA is also focking up.

[Assasin]

everybody must set them schedule fi the JFF.

This a big blunder by the JFF. How many time them a go make last minute arrangements and get away with it?

[Sickko]

The JAAA was also unable to send their full team to Brazil for the Junior Pan American Games last month due to the same problems...are you aware of this...

[Assasin]

I am aware of this but I am constantly talking about Boxhill late travel arrangement. I have spoke to players who told me on the day of travel to China the team was at the Chinese embassy.

Last year the youths bearly missed it.

On our recent tour to Asia two of our better players didn't have 6 month on their passport and was grounded.

These and other travel arrangement where players have to pick up players at airport etc. are no way to go.

The JAAA don't have these problem everytime they travel so I can empathize with them.

[Sickko]

and it is the president's job to deal with these things?

[Peter R]

My thoughts precisely. Caribbean Airlines (ex-BeeWee) as far as I know still flies from TT to Jamaica albeit island hopping (usually two stops). This Visa thing as a reason to not attend a tournament in TT sounds fishy.
Like somebody looking for an excuse for something.
pr

[Time]

Send the JDF Island Hoping

Why not ask the JDF to fly the boys there via an island hoping route?

How about asking fidel for a Cubana flight?

[Karl]

and it is the president's job to deal with these things?

The buck stops somewhere.
Isn't that a big part of the discussions on the much more complex and difficult task of managing Jamaica? Yup!

Mr. Boxhill must be blamed...particularly as travel arrangements for teams have been often poorly managed throughout his reign.

[Karl]

Hope fades for U-15s
JFF fails to secure emergency appointments at US Embassy

SEAN A WILLIAMS, Assistant Sports editor
Friday, August 17, 2007


THE desperate efforts by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to get their Under-15 team to Trinidad and Tobago in time for the CFU Youth Cup suffered yet another blow yesterday when they failed to secure emergency appointments for US visas for the players.

A JFF release yesterday stated that the embattled Federation was unsuccessful in securing emergency appointments for the players at the US Embassy in Kingston. "Online applications for visas resulted in November appointments and visits by a JFF officer to the embassy still did not result in early appointments," the release said.

After their failure in confirming flights on Caribbean carriers to Trinidad, the JFF was forced to resort to taking the delegation through Miami, but hit a brick wall as they sought to acquire the requisite US entry visas.

Up to press time yesterday, the JFF was clinging to faint hopes of getting the team to the twin-island republic for tomorrow's start of the tournament. The Young Reggae Boyz are scheduled to kick off their campaign on Sunday against Guyana.

When contacted yesterday, JFF general secretary Burchell Gibson said "other options were being looked at" to get the team to the Eastern Caribbean in time for the start of the tournament, but he declined to give details.
"It's not a 'no-no' at this time," Gibson said.

The delegation was originally scheduled to leave for Trinidad yesterday.
The JFF got entangled in a chain reaction of events after they were forced to give up seats originally booked for a direct flight on Caribbean Airlines to Port of Spain, because they could not finalise a squad on time, and the airline needed to confirm bookings going into the present peak period.

A late appointment of a coach for the team triggered the delay in selecting a training squad, and ultimately the final 18-man squad, which was chosen late last week.

It was at this point that it was discovered that the majority of the players did not have passports, but emergency appointments were made to the Ministry of National Security and passports were issued earlier this week.
With one problem solved, another emerged as it was learnt that there were no available seats on other Caribbean flights to Trinidad.

In the event that Jamaica forfeits the tournament, it is expected that the regional governing body of football, CFU, would take punitive action against the JFF.

Jamaica won the Caribbean segment of the inaugural Under-15 tournament in 2005, but finished third overall behind champions Canada and runners-up Guatemala, who were invited guest teams.

The CFU Youth Cup alternates between Under-15 and Under-16 in preparation for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Finals.

[Hortical]

Damn focking idiots at the JFF. Can't believe is ongle last week dem finalize the squad, then waan the US Embassy fi cut corners fi dem. A fine by CFU would be appropriate and those dunces administrators need to get the fock out before the November elections.