HAWTHORNE, California:

Captain Horace Burrell said his Reggae Boyz deserve more than they are getting. The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president also admitted they cannot afford to pay them more at this time, however, he will be looking to address their problems by garnering additional funding through sponsorships.

This comes against the background of the Jamaica men's national senior team strike on Monday evening, two days ahead of their CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B opener against Costa Rica at StubHub football facility in Carson, Los Angeles, tomorrow.

In terms of specifics, Burrell said he would not disclose their requests.

However, he said: "Naturally, we're talking about money, money, money, money and it's all about negotiations. I will tell you this, the JFF cannot afford more than it can, and I have always said this and will continue to say it; Jamaica is not a rich country and we cannot afford to hang our hats where we cannot reach it. That is the simple matter.

"Of course, the players are deserving of a lot more than we can offer, but one has to understand we have decided to make available to the players and staff all the proceeds which we will earn during the Gold Cup. All the proceeds are going to the players and staff," Burrell reinforced.

"That is a tall order, but again, I believe the players are deserving and they deserve more. The difficulty with us is that we have not been able to get the sponsors on board because I find that sponsors are more willing to support the programme when the hype is on, and we have to try and change that culture because we need the support financially and otherwise, prior to getting into the tournament.