Jamaican women's national team won't play again until federation pays them
Jamaica’s “Reggae Girlz” stood together on the field during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and now they’re standing together off the field to demand the money they’re owed from nine months of back wages.
Several members of the Jamaican women’s national team, including Allyson Swaby, Toriana Patterson, Lauren Silver, Chinyelu Asher, and Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, have posted a “Pay Our Reggae Girlz” banner on their social media accounts, making it clear that they won’t do any training or represent Jamaica again at any tournament until the Jamaican federation pays them what they’re owed — and that includes an important Olympic qualifying event at the end of September.
Here’s what Shaw posted on her account.
“First Caribbean team to qualify for a World Cup. We have made a lot of sacrifices to wear the colors of Jamaica. We have respected and worn the colors with pride. We are in a position where we we are literally fighting just to get paid by legal agreements. This ain’t just about money, it’s about change, change in the way women football is viewed especially in Jamaica. We deserve more and they can do better. For this reason, I along with my teammates won’t be participating in any future tournaments until being paid.”
Other members of the team posted the same picture and took the same stance on social media.
We wrote history with almost [no support],
we beat the odds, and yet the battle continues.
It’s not just about the money, it’s about resetting the precedent and standing for what we & future generations deserve
{Repost. Share. Stand with us}#nopaynoplay pic.twitter.com/1JZGCqCVAB— Chinyelu Asher (@ChinyeluAsher) September 2, 2019
Patterson reposted a video of many players’ quotes about going on strike.
According to ThinkProgress, the team signed a contract with the federation back in May. The contract included back pay that dated as far back as January, and they were to be paid monthly until the conclusion of the contract, which was August 30.
That hasn’t happened. Michael Ricketts, the president of the Jamaica Football Federation, told Jamaican newspaper the Gleaner that the players have been paid half of what they’re owed, and will be paid the rest by the end of September.
“We have paid them half of what they are to be paid, but the truth of the matter is that we haven’t received the money from FIFA yet, and we're not able to pay them in full.”
ThinkProgress reported that the 50 percent that has been paid was only wired to the players at the end of August, right before their current contract expired.
The Jamaican women’s national team had a breakout year, becoming the first Caribbean team to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. They didn’t make it out of the group stage, but left their mark on the tournament as proud, fierce competitors.
Missing an Olympic qualifying tournament would be a huge blow to a program that has just started gaining momentum. But Jamaican goalkeeper Nicole McClure told ThinkProgress that it’s worth it to stand up for themselves and get what they’re owed.
“We’re willing to sacrifice that because enough is enough,” McClure said. “The culture of this organization has been corrupt for years now. We’re sick of being taking advantage of.”
McClure called the federation’s actions a “slap in the face,” and said it’s particularly disheartening in light of the team’s recent breakthrough.
“We created history, paved the path for future generations, without the JFF’s support,” McClure said to ThinkProgress. “It’s as if everything that we have done means absolutely nothing to them.”
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