Jamaica’s World Cup dream dicey at best
As I awaited the start of Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup clash between Japan and Colombia, I decided to pass the time reading some old newspaper articles that I didn’t get a chance to read before. It was then that I came across an article written by Don Anderson under the caption, ‘Can Jamaica make it to World Cup 2022 in Qatar?’
Frankly speaking, I did not find the article thought-provoking, as while Anderson, who is the chairman of the Professional Football Association of Jamaica, started out saying “yes, we can,” with regard to qualifying for Qatar, the range of things he outlined that we need to do clearly goes against any such notion.
As the game time approached, I dropped the paper with the article back into the bundle I had taken it from, having basically decided that the contents of the article were not worthwhile giving further thought to, especially being confronted by Anderson’s claim that, “our Premier League has matured and is now highly competitive” as ridiculous as anything I have read about local football in many years.
As I watched Japan waltzing to a 2-1 win against the Colombia team, which had spanked them 4-1 in their 2014 World Cup clash, I suddenly began to reflect on Anderson’s article again. When we made our first and only appearance in the 1998 World Cup in France, our lone victory came against Japan, which was also making its first appearance at a World Cup tournament.
While we have not graced the World Cup stage since 1998, Japan has qualified for every single tournament since, and based on the strength of their performance against Colombia, I would say their football has improved by leaps and bounds since France 1998. On the contrary, except for the odd good showing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Jamaica has not grown, and might have regressed.
SHORTCOMINGS
With my thoughts hovering about what could have been if, like Japan, our football had grown and become a better product over the past 20 years, I decided to reread the Don Anderson article. As I read the string of shortcomings that was catalogued about Jamaica’s football, I could not help concluding that we are far from ready to reclaim a place of respect in global football.
While Japan has managed to create the highly respectable club league, the J1 League, which has attracted top-flight players from Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany, Holland and England, among other top nations, we are still here playing the fool with a Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) competition, which is of a similar standard to some business house competition.
It leaves me to wonder if Don Anderson believes in magic, because it will require some amount of magic to transform the wretched state of football into a credible enough product to earn a place in Qatar four years from now. Personally, I hope that between the few quality players we have locally, and the players with Jamaica roots in England and the United States who want to represent us, we will find the magic needed to qualify.
I do hope that the leadership of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has seen Anderson’s article. Except for his flawed assessment of the RSPL, he is basically on point with regard to creating better playing surfaces and facilities, pushing for greater professionalism, and developing programmes to promote youth development.
If we are looking to develop the consistency Japan has been enjoying since 1998, we will have to rid ourselves of the RSPL and create a structure similar to the J1 League, which,
unlike the RSPL, has high-quality football being played all over Japan, and not only in 20 per cent of the country, as is the case in Jamaica.
If Don Anderson really wants to see Jamaica back at the World Cup, he needs to help the JFF to confront the club owners in the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association, who see the restructuring of the nation’s club football as a treat to their selfish existence. Had Japan not decided to open up and create a proper club structure, I am sure they would not have progressed to the level they have reached today.