Blaine: I think this is THE RIGHT THING
Senior Reggae Girlz coach set to resign after six months
SENIOR REGGAE Girlz coach Vin Blaine, in a shock announcement yesterday, declared that he will be handing in his resignation after only six months in the job.
He admitted disappointment at not being able to see out the team’s World Cup qualifying campaign but said he was stepping away for the “good of the programme” Blaine’s job came under scrutiny recently after 20 members of the Reggae Girlz squad signed a letter to Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts demanding that he be replaced because of concerns regarding coaching, communication and organisation.
However, last week the JFF board said investigations found insufficient evidence to warrant any dismissal and accepted its technical committee’s recommendation to retain Blaine and his technical staff.
The veteran coach, who revealed he was awaiting the federation’s compensation package for his staff before making his decision official, confessed he would have loved to see things through but he is doing what he thinks is best for the programme at this time.
“There is an arrangement for the staff to be taken care of before I put in my resignation letter.
“But my resignation is definitely going to take place. I am just waiting for them to take care of the staff.
“I decided to step away from the programme for the good of the programme and that is it. Yes, I am disappointed because qualifying the team to the World Cup was my ultimate goal in coming back to the programme. But as it is right now I did what I had to do, ”he stated
He noted that some of the players who signed the letter had called to congratulate to him after the federation announced he was staying on.
They also wanted a meeting to bury the hatchet in order to move forward, but he informed them they he would not be staying.
“Some girls have called me congratulating me that I am back and they had mentioned a meeting for us to discuss the situation. But I had already decided that I would resign so there was no need to meet.
“After all that has taken place I think this is the right thing, so this is being done in the best interest of the team going forward,” he said.
Blaine, a women’s football coach at all levels for more than a decade, resigned as national women’s coach in 2017.
However, after the recent sudden removal of previous coach, Hubert Busby Jr, he was appointed interim coach in December to see the senior girlz through to the 2023 World Cup finals in Australia/New Zealand.
During his time in charge, he led the Girlz to four straight victories in Group C of the Concacaf women’s qualifying, scoring 24 goals and conceding just two.
The Reggae Girlz will next play in the Concacaf Women’s Championship, July 4-18, in Mexico.