Aston Villa winger, Leon Bailey, has ruled himself out of participation in the upcoming Copa America tournament just minutes after his surprise inclusion in Jamaica’s 26-man squad.
However, in a cryptic post on Instagram minutes after he was named in the squad, Bailey appears to have dismissed the notion of his involvement in the competition.
“Misleading information”, said Bailey.
Bailey’s manager, Craig Butler, has since taken to social media to clarify Bailey’s post.
In an Instagram post accompanied by the 26-year-old’s original post, Butler said Bailey’s position on representing the Reggae Boyz has not changed. Butler said the winger is opting to focus on his mental health and spending time with his family.
Butler said he wishes the Reggae Boyz well with their Copa America campaign.
The dramatic u-turn from Bailey’s camp comes after sources confirmed with our news centre that Butler and the administration of the JFF had buried the hatchet.
It’s understood Butler and the JFF had agreed to allowing Bailey to join the rest of the Reggae Boyz squad on June 21, the day before the Reggae Boyz start their Copa America campaign against Mexico.
Our news centre understands Bailey’s management team is less than impressed with Bailey’s addition. Bailey is represented by his adopted father Craig Butler.
It’s also understood, Butler is disputing reports that 19-year-old forward Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards is injured leading to his exclusion from the team. Butler also represents Richards.
Bailey was suspended by coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, for breaking team curfew after a Nations League game against Canada in Jamaica in November last year.
Bailey was scathing in his criticism of the JFF while speaking on a podcast recently. On the same podcast Bailey announced he won’t be representing Jamaica for the foreseeable future.
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