( L - R ) Damion Stewart, Jermaine Johnson

LOS ANGELES, California:

MIDFIELDER Jermaine Johnson and defender Damion Stewart are facing heavy fines after missing their flight from Kingston to Miami on Monday.

"What happened with Jermaine Johnson and Damion Stewart, all I can say for now is that they will be heavily fined," Jamaica's head coach, Theodore Whitmore, said yesterday.

He added: "We want to send a message to the other players that we're in a no-nonsense mood."

Both players had checked in, cleared the security checkpoint and immigration and had been in the airport lobby at the Norman Manley International Airport, but did not board the scheduled American Airlines flight that departed at 12:15 p.m. Whitmore called it inexplicable.

"There's nothing to explain. Even before we had checked through it was the last announcement, so there's no excuse," Whitmore added in reference to a boarding call.

Stringent approach

Whitmore pointed out that Stewart and Johnson, as well as Ricardo Fuller and Luton Shelton, had already been fined on the team's tour of the Cayman Islands.

"We've a thing coming from the Cayman Islands where we want to bring it straight into the Gold Cup in terms of the discipline," he said, pointing to the coaching staff's stringent approach to established principles.

The nine who made the scheduled Miami flight out of Kingston were Ricardo Gardner, Dwayne Miller, Demar Phillips, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Luton Shelton, Eric Vernan, Rafe Wolfe, Claude Davis and Jason Morrison.

Oneil Thompson, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, Nicholas Addlery, Tyrone Marshall, Omar Cummings, Rudolph Austin and Dane Richards joined the team shortly after its arrival at the Marriott hotel, where they will be based in Los Angeles, ahead of an evening training session.

Ricardo Fuller, who remained in Jamaica to honour a previous commitment, was due in last night.

The other member of the squad, veteran defender Ian Goodison, is still in Jamaica awaiting his passport, which was sent to the Home Office in Britain with his application for a work permit. He is expected to depart for the tournament as soon as he gets it.

Travel schedule

The travel schedule had been tight with many of the players moving straight from a training session in the Cayman Islands to the United States. Half the squad returned from the Cayman Islands on Monday and left the following morning. They had to get out of bed before daylight again yesterday and though it was hectic, Whitmore said it shouldn't have been a problem.

"I don't think that should be a problem. We all knew how the travelling was (going to be) even before we left so we just have to focus and prepare our minds and when we get our rest we take our rest. We've the pool, we've the gym, so I don't think that should be a problem," he reiterated.

The players had a light workout in Miami, where Gardner, who had remained in Jamaica to treat a hamstring injury, got involved and looked quite brisk, as well as Campbell-Ryce, who had been granted permission to holiday in Britain.

"He had a nagging injury but I think he has got over it now," Whitmore said of Gardner's progress. "He did some work at home with his personal trainer so probably match fitness would be his problem. But we've players here so we'll see if he can play 60-70 minutes. If he can play the 90 minutes then that would be fine."

Regarding Campbell-Ryce, Whitmore noted: "I don't think he's 100 per cent ... but we've a squad of 20 so we just have to select the best 11 who are ready to go out there and represent the country."