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St George’s College head coach Andrew Price has demanded an urgent investigation into an incident during last week’s Manning Cup match against Kingston College, where an ambulance transporting injured goalkeeper Gian Singh was reportedly instructed to return to the venue while en route to hospital. According to the Jamaica Observer, Singh suffered a broken collarbone during the 0-3 defeat and was being transported by Sure Time ambulance to the University Hospital of the West Indies when the vehicle received orders to turn back along Mona Road because an ambulance was needed at the match venue.
With the ambulance no longer available, a past student of St George’s College drove Singh to Andrews Memorial Hospital for treatment. Price expressed frustration at the decision, telling the Observer he was "flabbergasted" by what he called a serious breach of medical protocol. When he questioned ambulance attendants about the recall, he was told their supervisor had issued the instruction, though Price said he was still working to identify who gave that supervisor the order and why.
Price emphasized that the incident put the young player at risk and called for both ISSA and those overseeing the match to provide a full accounting. "The school needs answers, his parents need answers. Situations like this just cannot happen," he said, stressing that student health and safety must always take precedence over sporting logistics.
The coach has urged ISSA to develop comprehensive emergency medical procedures for all schoolboy sporting events, not just football. Price argued that clear protocols are needed to govern how serious injuries are handled, including situations where an ambulance must leave a venue to transport an injured player to hospital. He called for a standardized approach across all ISSA-sanctioned competitions to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Price said he was awaiting ISSA’s response to his inquiry and emphasized that the goal was to establish what happened and ensure no other student-athlete faces comparable circumstances. The incident has raised broader questions about emergency medical arrangements at schoolboy matches, including who holds authority to direct ambulances and what safeguards exist to protect injured players during transport.
The Manning Cup is Jamaica’s premier secondary school football competition. ISSA (Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association) oversees secondary school sporting events across Jamaica and establishes the rules and procedures governing these competitions.
This incident highlights critical gaps in emergency medical protocols at Caribbean schoolboy sporting events, where young athletes’ safety can be compromised by administrative decisions. The case raises important questions about accountability and duty of care that resonate across Caribbean schools and sports organizations.
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