Reggae Boyz win shows resilience – Hall
Published:Thursday | June 9, 2022 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
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THE FIRST four points of the Reggae Boyz Nations League campaign were not easy to come by, and interim coach Paul Hall says amassing the tally from their first two games is an example of the team’s resilience. “If I’m being honest with you, it...
THE FIRST four points of the Reggae Boyz Nations League campaign were not easy to come by, and interim coach Paul Hall says amassing the tally from their first two games is an example of the team’s resilience.
“If I’m being honest with you, it wasn’t that difficult. They’re a resilient group, possible the most resilient group I’ve seen in a long time, and what happened is that they came together, and it showed on the pitch and it will show against Mexico,” said Hall after the Reggae Boyz 3-1 win over Suriname at the National Stadium in Kingston on Tuesday.
It was publicly understood that the Reggae Boyz struggled in the first game of the two-way Nations League tie against Suriname, courtesy of an off-the-field issue.
Reports hitting the media after the 1-1 draw in Suriname were that the game was almost not played, after the Reggae Boyz learnt that they may not have had a way home after the game and were dissatisfied with their accommodations in Suriname.
The pot fell to Jamaica Football Federation General Secretary Dalton Wint, who the players demanded resign if they were to continue to turn out for Jamaica.
Over the course of two tumultuous days, the Jamaicans arrived on the island, a day after the visitors for their home return leg, the coach had threatened to resign in solidarity with the players, and the JFF had accepted that Wint needed to go.
NO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION
Still, with no official confirmation of a resignation Wint had said was coming, the game on Tuesday was not certain to go ahead.
In fact, training the day before had been cancelled because the Reggae Boyz had been told Wint would be suspended from his role.
No dice. The players wanted a removal.
It was in this environment that the Reggae Boyz, excluding a stutter for Suriname’s 20th-minute equaliser, turned up at the National Stadium to shake loose an important, if not completely convincing 3-1 win over the visiting Nations League opponents.
The trio of Ravel Morrison, Junior Flemmings and Jamal Lowe got the goals for the Jamaicans.
While Hall lauded the team for its resilience and the ease at which they recovered from the 48-hour nightmare the players and management had undergone, Devon ‘Speedy’ Williams paints a picture that indicated it was a tough ask.
“I don’t think we played well and we could have played much better. The off-field issues were difficult to deal with,” said Williams.
The Jamaicans will now turn their attention to Mexico at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
The Concacaf Nations League is being used as a qualifier for the 2023 Gold Cup, where four group winners and four second-place finishers from each group in League A will qualify directly for the Gold Cup, along with the four winners from Group B, who will make the trip with host nation Qatar.