Jamaica Football Federation General Secretary Dennis Chung says that the full complement of the national Under-17 men’s football team is expected to arrive safely in Guatemala on Friday night.

The young Reggae Boyz will compete in the Concacaf U-17 Championship in hopes of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. But 14 players from the 20-man squad missed the flight out of Jamaica on Thursday because, although they received visa exemptions to travel through Panama to Guatemala, that exemption letter arrived after the flight out of Montego Bay had already departed.

But Chung is pleased to have the issue resolved.

“We have worked through all the issues we had and the boys will all be on the flight at three o’clock tomorrow (Friday) from Kingston,” Chung said in a voice message to stakeholders on Thursday.

“We got them booked, thanks to Copa Airlines. They have worked very well with us on this, so we’re happy that the boys will be in Guatemala by about 10 or 11 o’clock tomorrow night.”

He says that the players’ morale is high in spite of the issue and that he will travel with them to the Norman Manley International Airport on Friday.

Jamaica, led by head coach Merron Gordon, and his assistant Vassell Reynolds, get started in Group G on Sunday when they face Cuba in Guatemala City at 4 pm, Jamaica time.

The team is aiming to become the nation’s first to qualify for three FIFA World Cups, having also appeared at the tournament in 1999 and 2011.

The Under-17 World Cup is to take place in Peru in November.

— Rachid Parchment