Cavalier Soccer Club has filed a formal complaint with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), alleging that current Jamaica Premier League (JPL) leaders Mount Pleasant Football Academy violated multiple competition and FIFA rules by registering and fielding three Haitian players outside the designated transfer window.
In a letter addressed to Gregory Daley, Chairman of the JFF’s Competition Department, Cavalier contends that Mount Pleasant registered Haitian players Clifford Thomas (February 3), Angelo Exilus (February 26), and Jeudy Jhonson (February 28) after the close of the second official transfer period on January 31, 2025. These registration dates, according to Cavalier, were sourced from platforms including Transfermarkt, SofaScore, and Soccerway.
Cavalier argues that these actions breach both FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and the JPL’s own 2024/25 regulations, which clearly state that transfers may only occur within two designated windows: July 1 to September 6, 2024, and January 1 to January 31, 2025. No exception for these players’ registrations has been publicly disclosed.
The club further alleges that Exilus and Jhonson participated in CONCACAF Champions Cup matches for Haitian side Real Hope FA on February 4 and 11—after reportedly signing for Mount Pleasant on January 31. If true, Cavalier argues, this would mean the players were registered with two clubs at the same time, violating FIFA Article 5.2, which prohibits simultaneous registration.
In their submission, Cavalier claims that the players appeared for Mount Pleasant in at least six JPL fixtures between April 10 and April 27, including matches against Racing United, Chapelton, Arnett Gardens, Montego Bay United, Cavalier, and Molynes United. Match cards, they assert, corroborate the players’ involvement.
A further allegation relates to the April 10 match against Racing United (Game #205), in which seven foreign players—one more than the maximum six allowed—were reportedly listed on the match card. This, according to Article 4A.7 of JPL regulations, would constitute another violation.
Cavalier maintains that these breaches were not administrative oversights, but instead “a scheme to beat the system,” exploiting the dual use of FIFA Connect (for JPL registration) and COMET (used by CONCACAF) to conceal the players’ activity across different competitions. “Both clubs knew that different systems are used to register players for different competitions,” the letter claims, “this is what they used to take advantage of the situation.”
The club is calling for strict enforcement of Article 17.2 of the JPL rules, which stipulates that any team found guilty of fielding ineligible players must forfeit the match by a 3-0 margin and lose the associated points. In this case, they argue, multiple JPL fixtures would be subject to forfeiture if the allegations are proven.
Cavalier also highlights the seriousness of the matter by citing FIFA’s Articles 59 and 60, concerning forgery and corruption, and references a global precedent in which a player received a seven-year ban for similar dual registration infractions.
In a strongly worded conclusion, Cavalier asserts that “Mount Pleasant should have done due diligence” and calls out the JFF for “dropping the ball” in safeguarding the league’s integrity. They accuse Mount Pleasant of intentionally fielding ineligible players “to deceive, defraud, corrupt and undermine the integrity of the Jamaica Premier League competition.”
As of this publication, Mount Pleasant has not responded publicly to the allegations, and the JFF has yet to issue a formal statement on the matter.
Should the charges be substantiated, the implications could be seismic—not only altering the playoff landscape but potentially affecting the legitimacy of the JPL title race.
