Leon bailey recently removed himself from the selection pool for the ‘Reggae Boyz’, and this isn’t the first time it has happened. The issue here isn’t just restricted to his stated or perceived reasons, but rather how he got his message across and how this isn’t the first time he has seemingly taken his nation for granted, especially as it seems there is a possibility that both times were a result of the influence of his father and agent, Craig Butler. In the past, when it was clear Bailey was on his way to stardom, a story was circulated that he was eligible to play for the Belgian, German, English or Jamaican national teams. This was believed by many of the public because he started his professional senior career in Belgium with KRC Genk, before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany where he was playing at the time. This meant that his time living and working there eventually could allow him be a naturalized citizen and thus represent either country (in reality it was far more complicated and at the time would have been years away from being possible). The English link meanwhile came from a possible grandparent link that never seemed to be corroborated (in fact, it was stated years later that neither was born in England and thus there was no English citizenship link). Years passed between Bailey’s professional debut and when he finally played for Jamaica, and it seemed as though it was all a ploy to put pressure on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to give the illusion that Bailey had “options”. He was named to the Bundesliga team of the season in 2018, and thus was in high demand, with the English media even publishing pieces on how he could be their next Raheem Sterling case (Jamaican born but playing for England). Going back to early 2017, it was reported that Bailey would refuse call-ups to the national team until the standards of Jamaican football improved, rather than playing and trying to contribute to this improvement himself. In September 2017, Bailey told German football magazine Kicker: “They always want me to play for Jamaica, but I’ve had personal problems with the association since I was eleven or twelve years old.” In January 2018, Winfried Schaefer the former Reggae Boyz coach told German newspaper Bild “I really wanted to make him a national player. I have invited him several times – among others to the Gold Cup in America and to international matches. I also called at Genk. But his step-father blocked everything.” In October 2018, it was thought that he finally accepted a call-up, but made a last second U-turn after demanding that his brother, Kyle Butler who was playing for the reserves for a team in the Austrian second division (clearly not at a high enough level) also be called up. He finally played for the senior Jamaica squad in June of 2019 in the CONCACAF Gold cup. Fast forward to the present day, and a sense of Deja Vu permeates around Jamaican football. Bailey is once again calling out the standard of Jamaican football, while under the shadow of his father. I am loathe to defend the JFF, as their many stories of corruption and incompetence (such as the debacle with the history making ‘Reggae Girlz’ last year) are well known, but as bad they can be, I do not think Bailey’s intentions are fully genuine. He was suspended for breaking curfew while on national duty earlier in the year, and in addition to this probably rubbing him the wrong way, he also cited issues with the JFF in terms of equipment, travel and accommodation. Again, the JFF definitely has a spotty history with this, as there have been times when due to their incompetence, flights have been missed, or as Bailey cited, to get to a relatively close destination several connecting flights are needed, thus fatiguing the team among other unprofessional issues. However, some of these comments also made him come across as a diva. Complaining about not having his own hotel room while on duty and being stuck with a roommate, when several richer and more high profile club and national teams do this, and worst of all : “Jamaica’s national team is not doing anything for me. Jamaica’s national team is not going to give me exposure. Playing for Jamaica is not going to make Real Madrid call me. I am shining light on the national team by playing overseas and representing as a Jamaican all the time.”- stated by Bailey in a now infamous recent interview with Jamaican content creator Jaii Frais. He is right, in the sense that he is Jamaica’s most talented player, and he has truly done brilliant things in the world’s most popular football league. Alas, delivery matters and this was done without an iota of respect for his country, talking down on it in a way that truly makes one believe he thinks he is better than the country. This I believe is why his teammates were unhappy with former coach Heimar Hallgrimsson going to Bailey to try and get him to reverse his decision to join the team for the recently concluded 2024 Copa America, and that was one thing that ultimately led to the end of his tenure as Jamaica’s head coach. Bailey may not play his best with the country, as his stats pale in comparison to players such as Demarai Gray, but he is undoubtedly vital. The real issue is that Gray was born in England and has been representing the country for barely a year now. Despite this, he is genuinely interested in the country’s football scene, playing whenever able despite the “low standards” and even visiting rural areas of the country where his family hail from and inspiring local youth. Leon Bailey would rather see Jamaican football develop to a standard he deems worthy of himself rather than to help build it directly, like Gray. Bailey is far too valuable to be frozen out despite his lackluster performances and one hopes that he and the JFF can iron out their differences before the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign reaches its final stages. He and his father however must stop trying to hold the country hostage just to make sure all the people they are close to “eat”. In 2018 it was for a spot for his vastly less talented brother, and now one of his terms of return to the national team is call-ups for other footballers from Butler’s Phoenix Academy, despite only two (one being Leon Bailey) only ever remotely showing the required level of playing for Jamaica. The JFF have long been accused of putting its members’ wants and needs first, but Bailey and Butler are the very thing the claim to be fighting against.