Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
REID
NATIONAL PLAYERS Venecia Reid and Iesha Mowatt returned home from their short stay with Michigan Phoenix in the United States Women Premier Soccer League (WPSL), citing a number of problems.
Reid, captain of the Reggae Girlz, was quoted on a radio programme saying the salary and the accommodation were not suitable.
But when contacted by The Gleaner, Reid said she was told by her coach (Vin Blaine) not to discuss the matter with the media.
"I was told by my coach not to talk to any other radio stations or newspapers because we will be dealing with it on another programme," she said.
However, Hank Leung, head coach of the Michigan Phoenix, told The Gleaner in a telephone interview from his base in Michigan that he had no prior knowledge about the allegations.
UPPER MIDDLE CLASS SETTING
Said Leung: "That's interesting. I am surprised by those com-ments. They had a home stay in the same neighbourhood as everybody else. They had a family that were hosting them. They were in a upper middle class setting.
"They just got a bit home sick and that's understandable, it might have been their first time away from home for an extended period," said Leung.
He added: "It's unfortunate, we are very disappointed of course because they did quite well playing for us, we were hoping they would have stayed. I can understand their situation, they are young people and we don't want anybody to feel like they are forced to do anything."
Reid, or "String Bean" as she is affectionately called, led Jamaica to a fourth place finish at the Under-20 World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
She returned to captain Jamaica's senior team in three Gold Cup qualifiers, winning all three games by huge margins to reach the second stage.
