JFF president interested in recruiting Bolt for Jamaican club
Updated 18:58, 04-Nov-2018
Li Xiang
["other","Latin America"]
Eight-time Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt, who has been exploring a new career in soccer after his retirement from athletics in 2017, may be close to a new opportunity as Michael Ricketts, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) expressed his interest in having the "fastest man alive" play for a Jamaican club, according to ESPN.
"I am a little disappointed that Usain hasn't signed up with a Jamaican club. That would give us a chance to see a lot more of him," Ricketts told ESPN.
Usain Bolt playing for Central Coast Mariners of Australia's A-League in a pre-season friendly game. /VCG Photo

Usain Bolt playing for Central Coast Mariners of Australia's A-League in a pre-season friendly game. /VCG Photo

According to Tencent Sports, 32-year-old Bolt turned down a 150,000-US-dollar contract from Central Coast Mariners of Australia's A-League because of the number. Though the Football Federation Australia (FFA) can assist its clubs with extra money to help them acquire foreign players, Bolt who was not a professional soccer player previously could not benefit from such policy. Mariners hoped that they could introduce a third-party sponsor for financial help and have been in touch with Bolt but there has been no substantial progress so far.
Ricketts valued Bolt a lot. "Usain has a special attribute in his speed. If he can add a little bit of skill, some flair, he could supplement this Jamaican team. The players would certainly welcome someone like Usain. I have had informal discussions with some of them and they are excited at the prospect of playing with Usain," said the JFF boss.
It's true that Bolt can still run very fast but soccer is way more than just speed. /VCG Photo

It's true that Bolt can still run very fast but soccer is way more than just speed. /VCG Photo

As a legend on the track field, Bolt still has great business values even beyond athletics. 
Ricketts is clearly aware of this fact and hence mentioned that many Jamaican soccer fans will be excited about Bolt's appearance on the soccer field and would definitely buy tickets to watch him. 
Besides being realistic, Ricketts also went romantic on his expectations for Bolt's soccer career by remaining hopeful to have him in the country's national team.
"If he can make the transition from being a superstar on the track to being a good enough football player, then we will certainly call him up."