Concacaf World Cup Qualifying

In reply to FanAttick

He is still on the fence.

In reply to nitro

He will be more on the fence after that England performance against Andora…every man and them granny will think they have a shot

In reply to FanAttick

Damn right!

In reply to nitro

In reply to FanAttick

BTW you realize Italy lost to Norway. Can the Italians miss 3 consecutive world cups?

The game has changed. It is a lot more competitve globally.

In reply to nitro

Italy has been punching below its weight for a very long time…I agree..the game is more competitive globally…Canada beat Ukraine comfortably yesterday..

In reply to nitro

Yes sir..Minnows all over the planet are coming on strong with the msg..The ball is still round.
Football is in a very good state as no one can be taken lightly anymore. I like it

In reply to nitro



That right there is the key issue. Your mention of basketball crystallizes this. The JFF and the local clubs see national football as their vehicle to sell players (transfer fees), rather than reaching heights in global competitions. As a consequence, players born overseas, local players who are contracted out (with few exceptions) are bad for business so they are despised. Women's football and basketball do not have transfer fee issues, so PICA will mysteriously become sports-friendly in these instances. In track and field there are no issues, however, locals will get selected for relays ahead of foreigners so that local man and man can eat a food.

In reply to JoeGrine

I do understand the need to sell players as that will benefit the players and clubs economically. The reality is, football has evolved. Technology and media coverage allow scouts to discover talent in places they previously ignored. JPL matches are now televised, streamed, and shared across platforms that scouts and agents routinely monitor. Local clubs, too, are becoming more intentional about marketing their players, sharing highlights, stats, and even negotiating directly with overseas clubs. The CONCACAF Club Championship is exposing our players globally. Cavaliers recently played Inter Miami with Messi for example.
Let’s take the example of Trivante Stewart, a player who never needed a Gold Cup, Nations League, or World Cup qualifier to secure a contract overseas. Stewart, a product of the JPL, impressed in the local league while playing for Mount Pleasant and Cavalier. His move to Salernitana in Serie A, one of the top five leagues in the world, didn't come on the back of a major tournament. It came from him being scouted given the visibility of the domestic and friendly matches, and a smart agent. This proves a crucial point. While major tournaments help, they are not the only path to exposure or contracts abroad.
Also, Jamaica frequently plays international friendlies outside the FIFA window, which by design often feature mostly local players. These are valuable opportunities. When a JPL player faces a Central American or African opponent on a non-FIFA date, and performs well, they are being scouted. In many ways, these games are even more valuable to local players than big tournaments where they may not get minutes.
The belief that only the Gold Cup or a World Cup can “legitimize” a Jamaican player is increasingly outdated. What the JFF should be focusing on for the local league is continued investment in coaching, facilities, and marketing, so we can better develop the talent that we do have. We have the talent, no doubt. We need funding to do this.
It's critically important that Jamaica use the best possible team for major tournaments like the Gold Cup, Nations League, and especially the 2026 World Cup. These tournaments are not just about prestige; they are major revenue opportunities for the JFF and can transform the landscape of local football.
For example, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, teams received:
• US$9 million just for qualifying for the group stage
• US$13 million for reaching the Round of 16
• US$17 million for quarterfinals
• US$25 million for semifinalists
• Up to US$42 million for winning the tournament
Even a group stage exit brings in enough money to fund grassroots development, pay staff, improve infrastructure, and invest in youth systems. If Jamaica qualifies for 2026 and advances beyond the group stage, it could mean tens of millions of US dollars, a game changer for the JFF and Jamaican football as a whole.
So yes, while we can export talent without big tournaments, our best chance to raise serious capital, grow the sport locally, and create more pathways for future players comes from doing well in these major competitions and that means fielding our strongest squad.

In reply to nitro

The root of the problem is the clear conflict of interest when JFF officials have ownership stake in JPL clubs and also have responsibility for hiring and firing national team coaches….clear conflict of interest

In reply to FanAttick

Yeah, you are so right.

In reply to nitro

I train people all over the world on conflicts of interest (among other things) so I know what I’m talking about

Its not only the “apparent” conflict that’s problematic..sometimes the appearance of conflict is just as bad, if not worse…

In reply to nitro



When you have a eat-a-food mentality it is hard for you to embrace the fact that the game has evolved. Listen to "Skill" Cole, Halliman and Carvel Stewart among others, and you will understand how entrenched the archaic way of understanding football is. Some want absolutely no one off of the 144sq miles to be on the team and the more reasonable among the insane want a balance among the players chosen. Balance for them would be 12 local based and 12 "foreigners", talent be damned. So you will see a Green in the 60 for the Gold Cup but not a Ravel Morrison, you will see a "Busy" Anderson chosen ahead of Mothersile. Give them credit though, the bias used to be no country man strictly town man, there's been an improvement in their mindset.

In reply to JoeGrine

Busy “Atkinson”

In reply to FanAttick

You said it, not I.

In reply to nitro

I would love to see more investment in football at the high school level - the ROI is vast!

Wavel Hinds is a poor spokesperson for labor and sports - why can't these younger politicians introduce innovative and creative ideas?

Is the Trelawny Stadium now a cow pasture? What about the Sligoville Sports Complex? - a disgusting abomination!

Nothing new and different from the young politicians - the same Busta politics!

Damion Crawford has gone cold - in this new social media era, one has to remind the electorate daily that one is present.

Lisa Hannah owns social media in the political sphere and Holness is also cashing in on the act!

You are sure about this?

1. An 18-year-old playing in the glorified Manning Cup/DaCosta Cup is miles behind his South American/Central American, European/African counterparts.
2. High school football should remain what it is, an extracurricular activity.
3. What our leaders (you mentioned Wavell Hinds) should be doing is investing in about 8 football academies across the island, where the nation's best could gather to learn the rudiments of the game. Academics would not be abandoned in this scenario.

My $0.02

In reply to JoeGrine

Correct. Costa Rica has consistently produced quality players and teams that make it to World Cup and youth world cups for decades. Their development is based on their extensive academy system. This is present in all 82 counties.

John Wall did tell us and that is why he apllied to FIFA for the talent development program that the JFF now brags about. He said SBF is not effective in developing players.

The current national coach alluded to this when he said our local players lack football education that they should have learned at 7 or 8 years old.

In reply to JoeGrine

We can do both, no?

In reply to XDFIX

In the Jamaican culture, we cannot do both. There are 3 high schools in particular that whose old boys are hellbent on preserving the dominance of their schools in high school sports. Until that stranglehold can be broken, our football will be in the doldrums.

In the last decade I can only think of about 5 players from Manning Cup/DaCosta Cup that had quality to compete with their peers globally.

In reply to granite

I think its the way teams are now being picked to win the WC. There is not only a parking the bus defensive posture, but there is also parking the bus in neutral offensive posture. Where top teams don't select play makers or offensive players that break down defenses. They leave those at home for the safe player that lacks a certain creative flair. Not that that is JA's problem but generally....

In reply to JoeGrine

Boss I agree with you, I watched a few of those d-cup games online and I was aghast at the poor level of play-Unwatchable at best. Its the same thing that going on since I was playing DCup back in the 80's not much has changed except that now they all seem to be well dressed. and I can tell those teenagers from African countries playing in all sorts of academies and facilities and doing stuff that not even Jamaica's major league players can even think about doing. The methods of training and practice in some of these countries is way ahead of JA makes you wonder what they have been doing all these years.

In reply to carl0002




daggering.

In reply to JoeGrine

Look realistically you CANNOT build a team off heritage players. It has NOT worked despite TWENTY YEARS of trying. The ONLY way foward is to develop football locally to be able to get locals overseas and then add the BEST available heritage players. Many of our heritage players have STRUGGLED in a CONCACAF WCQ games because they CANNOT deal with the poor fields, the noise and the HEAT. And some of them have been LAZY and ENTITLED expecting to walk into the team based on where they play rather than performance. And we have in the past had tensions between those BORN in Jamaica and those born outside. And we have had heritage players for whom playing for Jamaica was just a job nothing more. THIS squad seems more cohesive but you CANNOT build a sustainable football programme based around 1st, 2nd etc generation Jamaicans. We need to invest and develop the sport locally if it is to produce us going to WC regularly.

In reply to XDFIX
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High school football is recreational, it does not prepare the guys for international career!