Three positive COVID cases hit Reggae Boyz ahead of travel to Peru.
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) says two members of the Reggae Boyz squad plus an official have tested positive for Covid-19. They were scheduled to travel to Peru on Monday but have withdrawn from the touring party.
The withdrawal of the two unidentified players has reduced the squad to 20 players.
The JFF press release said the three are asymptomatic and isolated at home.
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The 20 players and technical staff, including head coach Paul Hall, departed for Lima, Peru, where the international friendly game against the hosts is scheduled for Thursday.
For the last four days, the squad has trained at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence under the direction of new Head Coach Paul Hall.
Kaheem Parris is unavailable and has been replaced by Maliek Howell.
Thursday’s game is the only warm-up game that Hall will have before the next World Cup Qualifying window, which comes up next week, starting with a game against Mexico at the National Stadium on January 27. They will then play Panama away on January 30 before returning home to face Costa Rica on February 2.
Hall, a member of the victorious 1998 World Cup Finals Jamaican team, succeeded former teammate Theodore Whitmore. This replacement follows the sacking of Whitmore towards the back end of last year after the JFF Technical Committee reported that it had lost confidence in the France 1998 World Cup two-goal hero.
Reggae Boyz Standing
The Reggae Boyz are currently in sixth place in the eight-team final round on seven points.
Canada leads with 16 points, one ahead of the USA, then Mexico and Panama on 14. Costa Rica is next on nine points, with El Salvador seventh on six points and Honduras bringing up the rear with three points.
All teams have played eight games with six games remaining.
The group of players comprises Jeadine White, Demar Rose, Amal Knight, Dwayne Miller, Oquassa Chong, Richard King, Jamoi Topey, Damion Lowe, Javain Brown, Je-Vaughn Watson, Kemar Lawrence, Tevin Shaw, Ramone Howell, Devon Williams, Devonte Campbell, Lamar Walker, Jourdain Fletcher, Peter Vassell, Dwayne Atkinson, Deshane Beckford, Maliek Howell, and Alex Marshall.
The rest of the delegation is as follows: Gregory Daley, head of the delegation; Paul Hall, head coach; Wendell Downswell, director of football; Warren Barrett, goalkeeper coach; Lamar Morgan, physical trainer; Roy Simpson, team manager; Dr. Kevin Christie, physiotherapist; Rory Rhoden, masseuse; Norman Stone, equipment manager.
