Crowne slams ISSA over Jamone Lyle ban

Renowned sports attorney Dr Emir Crowne has strongly criticised the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (ISSA) decision to bar Jamaica College (JC) footballer Jamone Lyle from schoolboy competition because of his professional contract with Waterhouse FC, arguing that the rule unfairly penalises a young player for his success in the sport.

Crowne described the decision as a backward approach to football governance, questioning why a student should lose the opportunity to represent his school simply because he has progressed to the professional level.

“Amateurism, in all respects. That is the only way I would describe a system that celebrates a young player for reaching the professional level, then penalises the player for having reached it,” Dr Crowne told Observer Online.