 All right, welcome back to the Sports Mag Zone. Let's talk football. Members of Jamaica's Regga Girls Squad have been assembling in Panama ahead of Wednesday's Conker Cave Gold Cup qualifier in a release earlier on Monday from the Jamaica Football Federation. It stated that members of the technical and management staff are already in Panama with the remaining members scheduled to leave Kingston at 3 p.m. That was earlier today. It went on to state that two players, Tahitian Nelson and Shangei Nelson were also expected to depart Jamaica via that 3 p.m. flight. Now just quickly some news coming out of Panama earlier today that a government contract or that a number of individuals in Panama are disgruntled with the awarding of a government contract to an overseas company, specifically a Canadian company, and it has caused someone's rest in the country. In fact, a number of roads have been blocked and there is even a possibility from what I am understanding that the venue for Wednesday's match between Jamaica and Panama could be changed. We await further information on that matter and as soon as we have it, we'll bring it to you. Disappointingly though for Jamaica's senior women's football program, all the members of the Regga Girls Squad that got to the knockout phase of this year's FIFA World Cup decided to withdraw from the upcoming Gold Cup qualifiers. The team cited the constant mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation as the reason for their withdrawal. However, earlier this afternoon, the Jamaica Football Federation released an extensive statement with an aim of what it describes of clarifying the facts. The JFF statement outlined the following one. We, the JFF, spent close to US$4 million on the campaign too and during the FIFA Women's World Cup. The only money that was owed to the Regga Girls up to last week is 20% of the JFF prize money from the 2023 Women's World Cup. The reason provided was that although the contract stated that an amount of 20% is to be paid to the players, including those playing in qualification matches, it did not specify how the amount is to be distributed amongst the players. Now, the JFF says although the total prize money from FIFA was approximately US$1.8 million of that amount, there is a reimbursement that the JFF is in the process of claiming. The players are insisting on 20% of the US$1.8 million. Meanwhile, the JFF has advised that they can only pay out the incentive on the amount of US$1.2 million received so far. Point four, the players asked about who the composition of the coaching staff, which was a condition of responding on being available. This is not a requirement under the current contract. Five, the contract states that the standard travel category is economy, but that the JFF reserves the right to determine the travel category based on circumstances. The release went on to state that it is important to note that the JFF has always facilitated upgrades given the circumstances and requests from clubs and the coach. And finally, the JFF wrote to the girls individually advising their selection would be suspended. A monthful coming from the Jamaica Football Federation earlier today as Mariah pointed out at the top of the show, quite detailed, quite lengthy and from my perspective it is good that the JFF has come out and said something on this matter. Lance and Mariah, what do you make of this? Well I think it was very necessary because for me it's always difficult when you're looking on from the outside and you're only hearing one side of the story. So for me it was important that the JFF came out to the public and gave their side of what was happening because even your record on the show was saying that we can't only think about the girls side in other terms because maybe some of the requests are things that they can't abide by. We always have to remember the JFF. One of the things that they've always spoken out about is being cash-strapped, the financial issues. So to see this release coming on from the JFF, the fact that the girls are insisting they want 20% of the prize money and the total sum of the prize money, not all that they could afford to distribute. So that's one. They're questioning who the coach is and then they will make themselves available based on who the coach is. I find some of the requests that the JFF has included in their press release to me is a bit unreasonable because if I'm playing for a team, I can't decide if I'm available unless I like the coach. I find that to be something that doesn't sit too well with me and I've always supported the girls. Well, to be honest, I think one of the issues here that has caused this contentious discussion on this issue is from the JFF's first standpoint. It is not proper business practice to have a team dictating terms to the JFF. The JFF is in charge of football. So they are in control of decisions regarding football. Obviously, you want to make decisions that are compatible with what the team wants. But the bigger issue for me here is that the relationship between the reggae girls and the JFF has been fractured for a very long time. And there is a lack of trust and confidence from the reggae girls standpoint in the JFF. I saw the lengthy presentation that they put out in a press release today. And from their perspective, I can understand all of what they have said. But the issue goes way beyond that. And the complicating the issue for me now is that we are in the throes of a presidential election for the JFF coming up. So there's a lot of back and now that is happening at the moment behind the scenes, some of it not coming out for obvious reasons. And this current JFF is under a lot of pressure. And they have handled the girls' program very, very badly. And while the girls may be unreasonable in some of the positions that they are taking, they are human beings. And I quite understand their frustration and the frustration of their coach, who is no longer the coach because his contract was not renewed, because the performance of the girls on the international stage has been world-class. The performance of the JFF as administrators has been, I would like to find a way to describe it, but it certainly has been world-class. I said on Friday show that I would give them 1 out of 10 if I was rating their performance as an administrator. So if you have a world-class entity being guided by an entity that is performing poorly, there is going to be disconnect and there is going to be frustration from the standpoint of the reggae girls in this case. And I just see what the JFF put out today as damage control because what is happening right now is very embarrassing. And it shouldn't have gotten here. And I think the reggae girls are frustrated. And I know from the JFF standpoint they feel as if the girls are acting unreasonably. But my problem is that they have reached this position because of the history between the two entities here. And I can't say that I'm in full sympathy with the JFF because I am not. I don't think anybody can be in full sympathy with the Jamaican Football Federation lands because I think the JFF, as we all know, have made a number of mistakes and fall ups. With both men and women. Not just with the women's program, but also with the men's program. And before I even go any further because there's an important point I want to make. I want people to understand that this is not a JFF versus women's issue. This is an issue of the JFF versus its players, whether men or women. So I don't want people to start making this a women's issue or anything like that. Having said that Lance, I completely hear you. You make a lot of fear points. One of the things I want to make clear though, as I think is already clear, that there is a conflict here between the Jamaican Football Federation and the reggae girls. No doubt about that. I said on Friday that the girls, I felt the girls could have and should have looked at the bigger picture with Gold Cup qualifying coming up and I was smashed on X for that. That's fine. Another problem. Here's what I have to say today though. In my opinion, when it comes to conflict resolution, it is important that you explore and exhaust all the possible conflict resolution channels before you get to the most drastic action. In my opinion, I think the girls were a little hasty in moving to making themselves unavailable in this situation and I feel even more so now if I am to believe everything that the Jamaican Football Federation would have presented in that press conference today. So where are you saying if you are to believe as if you have your concerns? No, it's not about having concerns because the reggae girls could welcome out tomorrow and say ABC. That is not the case. So I have to say that. I have to say that. I also want to say though that within the contract that the reggae girls speak of that need to be honored and this is something that you find in almost all contracts between national federations and their players is that you have a grievance clause. What does that grievance clause do? If there is a dispute, it gives you the opportunity to activate that grievance clause and what that means is that you can get third parties in which would also include a mediator and the matter can be taken from there and this is why I feel the girls moved a little bit hastily to get to the point of making themselves unavailable and compromising the country's ability to advance to the Gold Cup for next year which I see as a very important event. If I were advising them, just quickly Mariah, sorry, but if I were advising them, I would say to the reggae girls, first of all, activate that grievance clause, get to the mediation process and if at the end of mediation you are still in a position where you think that you are being unfairly treated, then I would say I am 100% behind you and the decision that you have made in this case. The grievance clause is in the contract as far as I am concerned for these very issues and these types of disputes and the fact to me that they have moved ahead to make themselves unavailable for such an important series of matches without exploring this option is disappointing to me and I think they have missed an opportunity in that sense. And the point I want to touch on is the fact that you said they acted too hastily, right? Because in their response it's as if to them they did everything that they could do in their power. And I'm saying they haven't because here is a clause that is in their contract that is for these specific situations, Lancen Mariah. It's like Sportsmax saying to you Lancen Mariah, if you have a grievance this is how we deal with it. There's no doubt you know guys that there is distrust between the Jamaica Football Federation and the reggae girls and that is exactly why a third party is needed in a situation like this because it has clearly gotten to the stage where the eagles have gotten so big that it's difficult for the the reggae girls and their representation to sit around a table with the Jamaica Football Federation members slash executive and have a conversation that is going to get us to a solution that does not include or or a solution that has the least damaging effect on the country's football, on the country's women's football. But do you realize that it's fractured to the point that they speak to each other via press releases? But that's exactly why the third party is needed Mariah and that's exactly why in my opinion it would have been perfect it would have been perfect to activate this grievance clause because what it means is that now you get in third party representation and you can have that conversation. Instead of everything that has been going on now where you have this situation as you rightly pointed out the girls are writing letters left right hand center, the JFF has to be sending out a press release nobody is coming forward to be cross-examined which by the way is another issue I have but I won't even get too much into that I am saying activate this grievance clause sit down have the conversation sort this thing up sort this thing on. You know when we're going to feel this especially if you are genuine women's football fans which by the way I am I watch all their games and when you're going to feel this is when the gold comes around next year and the reggae girls are not involved in that tournament which by the way as far as I'm concerned is an important tournament for the development of the team and building towards another World Cup because you don't want to get to the round of 16 at this World Cup and the next time it comes around you're not even there you want to make a good run of it and I think the gold cup is an important tournament on that journey and what really worries me is that members of the GFF would be people that you'd expect to have a passion and a love to ensure that the country's football is represented at the highest level and everything is done in the best interest to ensure that football wins and of course Jamaica the country is first the footballers as well when we talk to them there appears to be this inherent passion this love for country football first and all that and to see all of that passion and love pushed aside just by this rift is not a good look at all and it's not good for Jamaica and the football moving forward because these headlines and this history never really goes away you know it just makes you know it dampens the reputation of Jamaica football and for me when I see them play against Panama on Wednesday and let's just say the results don't go in their favor these are the things that will really bother us looking on from the outside. As I said at the top I don't want to disconnect what is happening now from the fact that there is a GFF general election a presidential election coming up and Ricardo you have mentioned quite a few times and I understand to try to repair this damage to look at the bigger picture I get the feeling that the Riga girls are prepared to see everything crash because they are just unprepared to continue working with this administrative bunch for the reasons that they would have outlined in the past about mistreatment and so on which is a word they have used repeatedly and this didn't start last year or the year before or the year before that so the girls to me are tired and there's a lot about the GFF that begs questions about efficiency and proper administration for instance we are hearing now I saw the general secretary on television talking over the weekend about a possibility of the election for the GFF president president being put off until January yes now it's constitutionally due in December and it should be staged in December yes right and we have known for the past four years that it's going to be staged or should be staged in December 2023 so if they are now telling me that because of issues of the pillars not being in place and so on they may extend the deadline into the new year to me that is unacceptable and the GFF continues to operate in a way that shows that it is inefficient and I understand that the girls may have gone the grievance method that you just pointed out that is in their in their contract but the way I see it the girls are fed up and even though logically and ethically that is the proper thing to do yes to try to get it an arbitrator and sort things out the girls at the moment have just given up on this administration well a couple of things Lance and let me say quickly because this isn't my dominant point for me you can't be saying well we signed a contract and within the contract you are to honor it and then in that very contract is a way how we deal with disputes and then you go about dealing with it a different way I don't know that I can agree with that right having said that though given the release from the Jamaica Football Federation today right what do you make of the Jamaica Football Federation saying we have paid over pretty much all the monies that we owe to the girls with the exception of the portion that they were supposed to get as bonuses the GFF portion that they were supposed to get 20% from as bonuses we wrote to the girls and asked them how they wanted this money to be disseminated no response we put together a formula and made a suggestion still no response and so that delay is because we did not get the response and that the girls are upset that they want the 20% from 1.8 million US dollars when the GFF has only gotten 1.2 US dollars well my response to that is a repeat of what I just said that I don't think the girls have acted properly at every stage of this of this issue yes but I repeat that the the girls appear to me to be fed up and their history tells me that they have neither trust nor confidence in the GFF and to me they are just behaving as if whatever happens happens they they don't care anymore because they don't want to work with these people well Lancer must be the most patient man in the whole wild world right but if I sign a contract I am going to exhaust all the possible options in that contract for me to get what I think belongs to me before I get to the stage that the girls have gotten to and I am not saying that the girls can't be fed up because I do understand that when you feel that you have been mistreated over a long period of time it can be difficult in situations like that to see the bigger picture but again part of why you you sign contracts and part of why you have advisors is that there's a greater understanding of how to go about a lot of these things now Lancer Mariah I just cannot accept that with this option available to the girls that you would essentially in my opinion almost hold the country at ransom and put us in a position where we are unlikely to qualify for the gold cup next year when all the possible options were not exhausted in this matter that's where I am on this and you know this is unfortunate Lancer Mariah because a lot of these situations will make it seem as if you are trying to pick a side in this one for sure I know I am not trying to pick a side I have no friends at the Jamaica Football Federation and I have none in the reggae girls camp what I do have though is a love for country and a love for football and a love for women's football and I would want to see the very best for Jamaica on the global stage and I don't think what is happening now is going to end up being the best situation for Jamaica and Jamaica's women's football yeah so we await the next press release because the women now they have to respond to what the GFF sent Mariah you are hilarious by the way you know that right no but that's the truth though that's exactly what we're doing tomorrow we're going to come here you know what I would like I would like to sit down with a member of the Jamaica Football Federation and I would love to sit down with a representative from the reggae girls I have so many questions that I would like to ask and I think if you are confident in your position you should have no issues being cross-examined so he needs a cameraman tomorrow no I have this I have this gorgeous studio no but if they don't want to come to you you're going to have to head across to the GFF okay all right let's take a break we'll be right back