Onandi Lowe
Encyclopedia
Onandi Lowe is a Jamaica
n former international
footballer. He spent some of his career in the Jamaican National Premier League
as well as having stints in North America
and England
. Lowe, a World Cup
veteran, was also known for getting on the wrong side of the law with drugs in the latter part of his career.
, Lowe joined Harbour View
, a top Jamaican club, in 1993. A big, versatile free-kick specialist who could play anywhere on the pitch and was known for his strong left foot, Lowe moved to Canada
in 1996 to join Montreal Impact
. He returned to Jamaica after two seasons with Impact, joining Waterhouse
, but moved back to the A-League
in 1999 with Richmond Kickers
and then Rochester Raging Rhinos.
In 2001 he tried his luck in Europe
, joining Port Vale
on loan for the end of the 2000–01
season. However his deal was not made permanent after he quit the club when chairman Bill Bell refused to provide him with a car; when a reporter asked if he was upset about paying the wages of a player that had absconded, Bell replied "dunner worry kid, we won't be paying him". Spending the rest of the year with new club Kansas City Wizards
he joined Rushden & Diamonds
on loan in December 2001. Signing permanently with "Diamonds" in February 2002, he spent two years with the club. Making close to 100 appearances and keeping a goal rate of better than one every two games he was a crowd favourite at Nene Park
. Moving on to Coventry City
in March 2004, he got off to a bad start with manager Eric Black
after failing to report for duty following an international game. He scored once in two matches before he was released at the end of the 2003–04 season due to his ongoing drug trial.
Returning to Jamaica with old club Arnett Gardens, he attempted to return to England with Peterborough United
in March 2005 and ran into problems gaining a work permit
, rejection for his permit also prevented him a move to Oxford United
later in the year. He started the 2006 season with Miami FC
in the USA, only to be released after a month because of disciplinary problems. After two years with Portmore United
he rejoined Arnett in the Jamaican National Premier League
during the January 2008 transfer window.
in 1995 and he played two matches at the 1998 World Cup
. He formed a prolific strike partnership with Walter Boyd
in the Reggae Boyz "Road To France Campaign" in 1998, but since then found himself in-and-out of the team for mainly disciplinary reasons. His last international was a March 2004 friendly
match against Honduras
in which he also scored a goal. He earned over 60 cap
s for his country.
During his 2004 drug trial he was suspended from international duty and despite being cleared of the charges in 2005, the 31 year old Lowe was not selected again.
, he denied the charges. The exact charge was 'attempting to possess 1.17 kg (2.5 lb) of crack cocaine with intent to supply'. The Prosecution
claimed he signed for the package under the fake name of "Kevin Brown" and intended to profit financially from knowingly trafficking the drugs. Lowe countered that the fake name was to avoid paparazzi
and that he had no idea about the contents of the package: "I am Jamaican, maybe you think differently. If I am a mate and you said, 'can you do that for me', I am not going to think anything bad of you." Lowe said in a police interview: "I thought he was a friend". In February 2005 he was cleared as the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence
.
He was arrested and charged in St Catherine in December 2007 for possession of marijuana
. He had been driving a car with 42 marijuana cigarette
s, he posted the $300 bail
and was released from custody
.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n former international
Jamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
footballer. He spent some of his career in the Jamaican National Premier League
Jamaican National Premier League
The National Premier League, also known as the Jamaican National Premier League and, for sponsorship purposes, the Red Stripe Premier League, is the first division football league in the nation of Jamaica. Twelve teams currently compete in the league.The competition is divided in three stages in...
as well as having stints in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Lowe, a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
veteran, was also known for getting on the wrong side of the law with drugs in the latter part of his career.
Club career
After leaving Dunoon Technical High in his hometown of KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Lowe joined Harbour View
Harbour View F.C.
Harbour View Football Club is a Jamaican football club that currently plays in the Digicel Premier League. Harbour View is nicknamed the "Stars of the East" or "Easters" and plays home games at Harbour View Stadium.-History:...
, a top Jamaican club, in 1993. A big, versatile free-kick specialist who could play anywhere on the pitch and was known for his strong left foot, Lowe moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1996 to join Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
. He returned to Jamaica after two seasons with Impact, joining Waterhouse
Waterhouse F.C.
The Waterhouse Football Club is a football team based in Kingston, that competes in the Jamaican National Premier League. Their home stadium is Waterhouse Stadium.-History:The club was founded in 1968 and started with their home ground at Emmett Park...
, but moved back to the A-League
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
in 1999 with Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers
The Richmond Kickers are an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
and then Rochester Raging Rhinos.
In 2001 he tried his luck in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, joining Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on loan for the end of the 2000–01
2000–01 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2000–01 season was Port Vale's eighty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and first season back in the Second Division. A season of two halves, Vale were struggling at the bottom of the table when Isthmian League minnows Canvey Island knocked the Vale out of the FA Cup with a 2–1...
season. However his deal was not made permanent after he quit the club when chairman Bill Bell refused to provide him with a car; when a reporter asked if he was upset about paying the wages of a player that had absconded, Bell replied "dunner worry kid, we won't be paying him". Spending the rest of the year with new club Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
he joined Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
on loan in December 2001. Signing permanently with "Diamonds" in February 2002, he spent two years with the club. Making close to 100 appearances and keeping a goal rate of better than one every two games he was a crowd favourite at Nene Park
Nene Park
Nene Park is a football stadium situated by Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England, along the bank of the River Nene, and holds 6,441, with 4,641 seated and 1,800 standing. The car park can hold 800 vehicles. From 1992 until 2011 it was the home ground of Rushden & Diamonds football club...
. Moving on to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
in March 2004, he got off to a bad start with manager Eric Black
Eric Black
Eric Black is a former professional football player who played for Aberdeen and Metz. He played in attack. He won 2 international caps for Scotland. He was caretaker manager at Birmingham City following the departure of Steve Bruce. He is currently caretaker manager at Sunderland A.F.C...
after failing to report for duty following an international game. He scored once in two matches before he was released at the end of the 2003–04 season due to his ongoing drug trial.
Returning to Jamaica with old club Arnett Gardens, he attempted to return to England with Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
in March 2005 and ran into problems gaining a work permit
Work permit (United Kingdom)
The UK Work Permit scheme was an immigration category used to encourage skilled workers to enter the United Kingdom up till November 2008, when it was replaced by the points-based immigration system...
, rejection for his permit also prevented him a move to Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
later in the year. He started the 2006 season with Miami FC
Miami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
in the USA, only to be released after a month because of disciplinary problems. After two years with Portmore United
Portmore United F.C.
Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican football team who currently play in the Digicel Premier League. The team trains at G.C. Foster College and play home matches at the Ferdi Neita Sports Complex.-History:...
he rejoined Arnett in the Jamaican National Premier League
Jamaican National Premier League
The National Premier League, also known as the Jamaican National Premier League and, for sponsorship purposes, the Red Stripe Premier League, is the first division football league in the nation of Jamaica. Twelve teams currently compete in the league.The competition is divided in three stages in...
during the January 2008 transfer window.
International career
Lowe made his debut for the JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
in 1995 and he played two matches at the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. He formed a prolific strike partnership with Walter Boyd
Walter Boyd
Walter Boyd is a football striker from Jamaica who plays for Arnett Gardens F.C.Nicknamed 'Blacka Pearl' or 'The Pearl', Boyd is an extremely gifted yet controversial player whose off field antics always appeared to get him in trouble...
in the Reggae Boyz "Road To France Campaign" in 1998, but since then found himself in-and-out of the team for mainly disciplinary reasons. His last international was a March 2004 friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
match against Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
in which he also scored a goal. He earned over 60 cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
s for his country.
During his 2004 drug trial he was suspended from international duty and despite being cleared of the charges in 2005, the 31 year old Lowe was not selected again.
Controversy
Lowe was arrested by British police in April 2004 for trafficking £117,000 worth of crack cocaineCrack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
, he denied the charges. The exact charge was 'attempting to possess 1.17 kg (2.5 lb) of crack cocaine with intent to supply'. The Prosecution
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
claimed he signed for the package under the fake name of "Kevin Brown" and intended to profit financially from knowingly trafficking the drugs. Lowe countered that the fake name was to avoid paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
and that he had no idea about the contents of the package: "I am Jamaican, maybe you think differently. If I am a mate and you said, 'can you do that for me', I am not going to think anything bad of you." Lowe said in a police interview: "I thought he was a friend". In February 2005 he was cleared as the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
.
He was arrested and charged in St Catherine in December 2007 for possession of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. He had been driving a car with 42 marijuana cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s, he posted the $300 bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
and was released from custody
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
.
Management/Coaching Career
After completing his JFF coaching certification, Lowe coach briefly in the KSAFA Major League and August F.C. in the DPL.External links
- Profile and UK career stats at Rushden & Diamonds's official site
- Profile at National Football Teams