Mount Pleasant Football Academy, runners-up in last season’s Jamaica Premier League, is reeling from a payout of just over JMD $6 million to FIFA to regain compliance with global transfer regulations following a disciplinary case involving Jamaican striker Nicque Daley.
The St Ann-based club had been hit with a transfer ban and fined by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee earlier this year after failing a second compliance assessment connected to Daley’s transfer from U.S. outfit Charleston Battery.
FIFA’s ruling, delivered by committee chair Jorge Palacio of Colombia, found Mount Pleasant in breach of Article 17.8 of the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, which governs the transparency of transfer-related payments, including training compensation.
According to the decision, Mount Pleasant failed to complete the mandatory FIFA Clearing House onboarding process, a requirement that ensures all payments related to player movements are made securely and in line with FIFA’s financial integrity standards.
The club had already been sanctioned in 2024, when it failed an initial compliance review and was fined CHF 5,000 (approximately JMD $1 million). However, after failing to correct the issues, FIFA imposed a further fine of CHF 3,000 (around JMD $520,000) and an immediate ban on registering new players both locally and internationally in May of this year.
The ban was to remain in effect until the FIFA Clearing House confirmed that Mount Pleasant had successfully passed a subsequent compliance assessment. FIFA also noted that the club’s repeated non-compliance had delayed the payment of nearly USD $28,000 in training rewards owed to Daley’s former youth clubs.
Adding to the situation, Mount Pleasant did not submit a response to FIFA’s disciplinary notice within the stipulated time frame. The Jamaica Football Federation was subsequently instructed to enforce the registration ban domestically and provide proof of compliance to FIFA.
Failure to pay the fines or meet the compliance requirements could lead to even harsher penalties, including possible expulsion from FIFA-sanctioned competitions.
Mount Pleasant have since resumed player acquisitions, announcing several new signings — among them Warner Brown from Arnett Gardens and Tyreek Magee from Vere United.
The team now turns its focus to regional duties, as they travel to Trinidad next Monday to face Defence Force in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final, scheduled for next Wednesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
