Sport

Exclusion irks Lowe's manager

By PAUL-ANDRE WALKER, Staff Reporter

REGGAE BOYZ' TECHNICAL Director Carl Brown's comments regarding the exclusion of striker Onandi Lowe have been met with disappointment from the player's camp.

Lowe's manager, Patricia Garel, has said she has no qualms with the decision of Brown and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). What she had hoped, however, was that the situation could have been handled differently.

"We didn't have any communication with the JFF regarding Lowe's ability to play. Onandi is ready, willing and able to play, which was made evident from his hurried arrival for the Venezuela game and the situation hasn't changed since then, she said.

Personal interest

"I wasn't surprised, it was obvious that this was going to happen and I have no problems with that. The JFF are well within their rights to pick anybody they feel like and I don't think Onandi deserves any different treatment but I do think that it would have made it more palatable had we not heard the news via the media," Garel explained.

Brown defended his reason to omit Lowe.

"I do believe that on a personal point of view, in terms of his own personal interest, that his mind would not be on football at this time, he said.

"We just see it fit not to include him at this time in the group. With the circumstances that surround him right now, I believe that it would not be best to get him into the team at the moment."

Garel said Brown's reasoning could at best be an assumption, given the lack of communication between the JFF and Lowe.

"There is no way they can know if he is ready to play because they haven't spoken to him about his mind-set," she said.