Jamaica To Call Up 10 English Stars To National Team
https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/international/categories/international/fifa-world-cup-2022-jamaica-to-call-up-10-english-players/695474Jamaica reportedly have a list of 10 English players they want to call up to their national team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with eight of those footballers already in the process of getting their Jamaican passports.
As announced by Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts this week, the Caribbean island nation is interested in calling up a host of English players for international duty ahead of the World Cup next year.
The country is said to have hopes of qualifying for the tournament in Qatar in 2022, and are looking to strengthen by attempting to lure some English-born talents who have ties with Jamaica to the national team.
"I see Andre Gray, Demarai Gray, Isaac Hayden, Mason Holgate, Liam Moore, who already has his Jamaican passport, Nathan Redmond, Kemar Roofe and Ivan Toney. All of these, we are in the process of acquiring their Jamaican passports," Ricketts said, according to the Daily Mail.
"The process is becoming a little tedious because of the pandemic but the process is ongoing and we are hopeful we will get the passports for these gentlemen in reasonable time.
"We have been having discussions. I just spoke with the Permanent Secretary for Sport and he has agreed to try and help us to facilitate and to expedite the process."
The other two players Jamaica are looking to call up are West Ham United striker Michail Antonio and Norwich City right-back Max Aarons, although it is understood the latter still needs convincing.
It was claimed last week that Antonio is set to switch his international allegiance from England after being overlooked by Gareth Southgate in recent selections. The forward was called up for Three Lions duty in 2016 for three 2018 World Cup qualifiers, but did not make it off the bench in all three games.
Aarons, 21, has represented England at youth level but faces stiff competition in his position, with the likes of Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of him in the Three Lions fold.
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Of the other eight players on the JFF's radar, Redmond is the only player to have earned an international cap for England, an appearance that dates back to 2017, but the Southampton winger has the option of changing his allegiance as that match was a friendly fixture.
The player with the biggest profile in the Jamaican national side is Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, who has been capped on eight occasions. Fulham's Michael Hector and Bobby Decordova-Reid also feature for the nation.