Give Bailey a break!
I’M WATCHING this Leon Bailey saga play out with some Jamaicans waving the patriotism flag above dreams of exploring the best options for playing on football’s biggest stage, the FIFA World Cup. The current options for Bailey, albeit slim, are his to make. But there is a bigger, more obvious irony at play here.
I would like to point out that this is a case of ‘do as I say but not as I do’. The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), in its bid each time to realise a dream of making it to a World Cup, has shunned our local-based players to explore overseas options. That is not typically the greatest display of patriotism towards our local countrymen, but it is a nation’s attempt at realising the World Cup dream in favour of building our local talent. In much the same vein, a young Leon Bailey is exploring overseas options of realising his World Cup dreams rather than choosing to join his countr ymen at this time. I’m struggling to see what makes that any different from the JFF over the years.
VALID DREAMS
It’ s only fair we allow the brilliant 20-year-old the right to explore the possibilities for reaching a World Cup final if that’s his ultimate dream. While I would love to see him in the national colours, I don’t take his refusal to play personally as I believe his dreams are valid in much the same way I support the JFF’s act of bolstering our teams with foreign-based support over the years.
I also believe that some invitations are unwarranted. Travelling from Germany, jetlagged, to play a match of little consequence against a team ranked significantly lower than our rising and highly promising Boyz isn’t an attractive proposition. This is similar to the disinterest our top cricketers show to leaving the big lights and strong competition to play in the regional cricket league. Emotions aside, it’s not the most attractive offer.
The truth should never be an offence, and, truth is, many of the overseas footballers who have chosen the Reggae Boyz over the years did so because they were not good enough to make another national team. We qualified for our first World Cup 21 years ago partly through the creditable contribution of foreign-based players like Deon Burton, Paul Hall, Robby Earle, et al. But I wonder if given the choice, between, say, England and Jamaica, they would have chosen Jamaica to begin with. I’m happy it turned out perfectly for everyone that time around, but, realistically, we haven’t seen much in the way of sustainable, solid development since then.
As a huge supporter of the Reggae Boyz, I would love to see Bailey help to elevate the national team. It’s the same wish I had for Raheem Sterling, who also had an option for Jamaica as well. I don’t see us getting to a World Cup final within the next eight years. I am thus less concerned about Bailey and Raheem and more concerned about the JFF putting together a solid programme that will see us developing our talents, creating opportunities, building proper pitches, and continuing to develop our youth footballers. Coach Theodore Whitmore and his Boyz are building a solid record of recent successes, which include two successive Gold Cup finals, so let’s keep going.
RIGHT TO DECIDE
‘The truth should never be an offence, and, truth is, many of the overseas footballers who have chosen the Reggae Boyz over the years did so because they were not good enough to make another national team.’
I can’t recall hearing Jamaicans speak disparagingly about Raheem Sterling, Germaine Mason, Merlene Ottey, John Barnes, Donovan Bailey, or Sanya Richards-Ross. Why, thus, such venom towards Leon Bailey?
I believe in the pursuit of one’s dreams whether it aligns with my own desires or not. If I had a choice, I would play for Jamaica, but I am not Bailey. I haven’t walked in his shoes, and his dreams and mine may not be aligned. It is every individual’s right to decide.
No matter where Bailey and Raheem Sterling go, and what Bailey and Sterling do, they are still Jamaicans to me. So, let’s support Bailey’s dream of doing what’s best for him, which may eventually be a decision for Jamaica anyway.
If not, it doesn’t make him any different from the many Jamaicans, and people across the world, who have gone overseas to explore their career options in hopes of realising their dreams and maximising their earnings for themselves and their family. One Love.