A few months after Reggae Girlz members praised her as their “fairy godmother,” With immediate effect, Cedella Marley stepped down from her position as Global Ambassador for the Jamaican women’s national football team.
On January 4, 2024, a press statement was issued announcing the news.
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Marley highlighted the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the team’s present situation as justifications for her resignation in the statement. She expressed her opinion that the federation is “neither receptive nor interested” within her “current manner of support.”
She claimed that because she and Captain Horace Burrell had the same goals, she joined the squad with the knowledge that she would offer “help and support.” She continued by saying that the Bob and Rita Marley Foundations have given around US $2.7 million to the growth and development of the women’s football squad since coming to that conclusion, working with several partners.
“We have worked diligently with the federation to build a solid women’s program. The results of this work speak for themselves as the Reggae Girlz have gone on to make history – not once, not twice but repeatedly,” The passage from her statement said.
Marley continued by expressing unhappiness with the way the team’s previous events had turned out. She said she thought everyone would be cooperating for the good of the squad, particularly following the Girlz’s historic run at the Women’s World Cup, but she also disclosed that the “ever-widening rift between the JFF and the team is very alarming.”
She continued by saying that many attempts to help resolve the problems between the squad and the federation were unsuccessful.
Marley went on to say that she will still support the Reggae Girlz’s journey through the Football is Freedom program even if she is resigning.
