Prominent international football attorney Andrew Werners has publicly criticized the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for excessive delays in processing player registrations for the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), alleging violations of FIFA regulations. The Canadian-Dutch Caribbean lawyer, who previously served as legal counsel to the World Leagues Association, represents several affected international players including St Lucian Vino Barclett and Haitian Melvin Doxilly.
According to Werners, both players properly terminated their contracts with previous clubs—Cavalier SC and Mount Pleasant FA respectively—and became free agents months ago. Despite this, the JFF has failed to submit their registration documents through FIFA’s mandatory Transfer Matching System (TMS), preventing them from joining league leaders Montego Bay United.
Werners cited specific breaches of Article 14 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which permits contract termination with ‘just cause’ without penalties. He emphasized that players followed proper procedures by providing default notices to their previous clubs before seeking new affiliations.
The registration impasse extends beyond these two cases, affecting multiple national federations. Notably, a Surinamese player’s registration delay is compromising his preparation for crucial FIFA Inter-Continental play-offs in March, where Suriname faces Bolivia for a chance to compete against Iraq for World Cup qualification.
Despite attempts to contact both FIFA TMS management and JFF competitions head Ian Kemble, no responses have been received regarding these allegations. Werners has subsequently filed an official protest with FIFA, insisting the JFF must honor its contractual obligations under international football governance standards.