Miami (AFP) – Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has been left out of the Jamaica squad for next week’s CONCACAF Nations League Finals after breaking the team’s curfew, head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson announced on Thursday.
The Icelandic coach said that Bailey and forward Trivante Stewart had both left the hotel after the curfew time of 10pm during the team’s last training camp and would now serve their internal suspension.
“We basically have a lot of agreements between the staff, the coaches and the players, but we have only one rule: Don’t leave the hotel after 10 p.m. These players did, didn’t even sleep at the hotel, missed the bus the next morning,” Hallgrimsson told a news conference in Kingston.
Bailey’s last appearance with Jamaica was for the 3-2 win over Canada in the Nations League game in Toronto in November.
Jamaica will face the United States in the semi-final on March 21, hoping to pull of an upset and earn a meeting with Panama or Mexico in the Dallas final.
Hallgrimsson said the issue had been dealt with internlly and there would be no further consquences for the pair.
“Both players took responsibility for their actions, they apologized to us and the squad. The apology is accepted. We all make mistakes in our lives, even the best, and for all of us, case is closed and we move on.
“It was decided they would not be selected for the next camp, and only this camp. It was dealt with inside the group and should always be done this way, not in the media,” added the Jamaica coach.
The Reggae Boyz will also be without Everton forward Demarai Gray who picked up a red card in the previous round against Canada. However Gray has been named in the squad that will travel to Dallas and could feature in the final.
There is a first call-up to the national side for forward Bailey Cadamarteri, who plays in England for Sheffield Wednesday. The 18-year-old, British born striker is the son of former Everton forward Danny Cadamarteri.
© 2024 AFP
