The football community of Antigua and Barbuda has come together to show unwavering support for two professional players, Jahlane Barzey and Josh Thomas, following an incident involving gun violence that left the pair in recovery. The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) has publicly reaffirmed its solidarity with the athletes, using the moment to also sound the alarm on the growing crisis of gun-related harm across the twin-island nation.
In an official statement shared widely across the association’s communication channels, the ABFA extended heartfelt well wishes to Barzey and Thomas, emphasizing that the entire national football family stands shoulder to shoulder with them through their recovery process. “We stand with you both and wish you strength, healing and a full return to the pitch. Your football family is behind you all the way,” the statement read.
Beyond extending support to the injured players, the ABFA used the platform to launch a firm “Zero Tolerance for Gun Violence in Antigua & Barbuda” declaration. The association highlighted that gun violence does not just harm individual victims—it rips apart families, destabilizes local communities, and erodes the fabric of the nation as a whole.
“Enough is enough!” the declaration read. “Let’s choose peace over violence and protect the future of our nation.” The governing body went on to stress that meaningful progress on curbing gun violence requires collective action from all residents of Antigua and Barbuda. Only through unified effort, the ABFA argued, can the country build a safer, more resilient future for all its people, including the next generation of young athletes who will one day represent the nation on the pitch.
This public statement comes as the entire regional football ecosystem mobilizes to support the two players, aligning the push for the athletes’ full recovery with a broader national call to address the root causes and impacts of gun violence.