King

KINGSTON (CMC):

England-based Reggae Boy Marlon King has finally broken his silence over a two-year ban recently slapped on him by the Jamaica Football Federation.

The local authorities accused King of several indiscretions during the two-match England tour in May and June of last year and had invited him to a hearing here.

King failed to respond to the JFF's invitations and was dealt the suspension but the 26-year-old Watford United striker said the matter had been blown out of proportion.

"The situation was blown up. It should not have reached this stage. It should not have gone public. It should have been dealt with in house," King said in an interview with KLAS Sports Radio.

"The last conversation I had with the [JFF] president (Crenston Boxhill), he said he was going to phone me. He said the delegation was going to come to a decision whether they would let me play in the England game. The next thing I heard was the story on SkySport news that I was excluded from the squad.

"Going to Jamaica to explain my situation wasn't feasible at the time because as I said, the whole situation was blown out of proportion. I just wanted it to be over and done with - I thought I had already been punished.

"Then statements were made about females in my hotel room when I had my fiancée. The president talked about girls in the hotel. All the players have girls in the hotel up to four o'clock in the morning and nobody said anything."

King, who was very upset about the decision to ban him, said he was being used as a scapegoat because he had raised several crucial issues during the Reggae Boyz's tour of England.