‘It was crazy, crazy that Sunday’

PRIOR TO kick-off, the stage was set with a fly-over by then national airline, Air Jamaica. The message was clear. There’d be no stopping Jamaica.

Later, in unison, thousands of fans decked in gold, with a spatter of black and green, unleashed wild expressions of joy the moment Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz sealed historic qualification to the 1998 FIFA Men’s World Cup Finals in France, with a nil-all draw against Mexico at the National Stadium in Kingston 25 years ago on November 16, 1997.

Dubbed ‘The Office’ for the unbeatable play, at the time, of the nation’s flagship football team in its build-up towards a never-before-achieved Jamaican feat, what had become the Reggae Boyz’s workplace emerged as the perfect stage for their grandstand celebration after Peruvian referee Jose Antonio Arana sounded the final whistle.

At that moment, it didn’t matter who was standing next to the other person. They hugged, fist-bumped, let fly cupfuls of water and alcohol. No one was spared. No one cared.

The draw was all the team needed to secure its 14th point and Concacaf’s third automatic qualifying spot for the World Cup Finals, making Jamaica the first country from the English-speaking Caribbean to seal that accomplishment. (They have not repeated the feat of qualification.)

As a gift, then Prime Minister P.J. Patterson declared the following day a national holiday.

Describing the moment, starting goalkeeper and regular captain through the campaign, Warren Barrett, said: “Joyous, elated, happy, tears of joy, relief, a sense of accomplishing your dreams, your goal.

“Thankfully, we ended up on the bright side of a rough and rocky journey and the entire nation was proud of the achievement. ... That can’t be replaced, so that really has left a mark in the nation’s history and we’re thanking God that He decided to use that generation of players, staff, and support staff to accomplish and change the footballing history of a small Caribbean nation,” Barrett said in a Gleaner interview on Tuesday.

The Cornwall College old boy said the achievement had a profound effect on the country.

“There was no reported crime on that qualification day, which was probably a first in Jamaica. On every street corner, people were lining the streets with pot covers, drums, flags, anything they could beat, anything they could find in black, green, and gold. It was crazy, crazy that Sunday,” Barrett said.

“The entire nation played its part. They bought into the slogan, the ‘Road to France’; they were our 12th man, and it wasn’t just the 35,000 people who were inside the stadium, but the entire nation,” he related.

Samantha Harvey, an ardent fan from Nannyville Gardens, next door the National Stadium, said qualification was a “super moment for us”.

“I felt community pride, I felt national pride, I felt pride as a single mother because I was raising two boys as well, and telling them that they can do it, too, ... so I said Walter Boyd, ‘Pepe’ (Ian) Goodison, Onandi Lowe, you can be like them. The World Cup is every little boy’s dream,” Harvey said.

“When you go out on the dirt field, everyone has a World Cup baller’s name. And everybody felt so happy that somebody from their community was on the team, even the communities weh gunshot a bark. The World Cup ... it was a vision that helped to mould some of these ballers that we have now.”

CLEAR CHALLENGER

El Salvador, on 10 points with a similar goal difference, had entered the final round as the Boyz’s clear challenger, but their hope rested on a Jamaican loss and victory for them over the United States in a game played simultaneously. However, the Americans settled Jamaican jitters before the final whistle with a 4-2 win over El Salvador.

Ironically, it was earlier against El Salvador that the Reggae Boyz had revived a floundering campaign, when with only two points after four matches, they won 1-0 win at ‘The Office’ through an Andy ‘Bomber’ Williams goal.

The crowds then were thin. And for the National Stadium entry, it was easy to get in.

Celebrations after the final Mexico match spewed on to the pitch. Hundreds of patrons ran past troops mounted on horseback and scaled the stadium’s fences to get in. After the match, they ran towards the pitch, weaving their way past police personnel lining the track to prevent an invasion.

The people were adamant, nothing could block the path to their heroes who danced, pranced, and even Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore pulled off a sprint akin to the nation’s famed track stars when racing the 100-metre homestretch with flag in hand.

Rene Simoes, the Brazilian coach at the helm, was hoisted on to the shoulders of players who, along with coaching staff and members of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) hierarchy – headlined by its president, the late Captain Horace Burrell, basked in euphoria inside a jam-packed stadium.

“I reached there early. Well, I thought I was early, but the place was already full,” recounted Jermaine Blair of efforts to get inside the venue. “It was rough because people had gathered at the stadium from overnight. I had my ticket, but the place was ram.

“I just followed the crowd and jumped the fence and witnessed a historic moment in our football,” added Blair, who lived close to the stadium and represented Excelsior High at Manning Cup. “That match was not going to miss us as ballers.”

Current Reggae Boyz captain, the outstanding goalkeeper Andre Blake, said Jamaica’s France ‘98 qualification served as an inspiration for his career. The MLS Goalkeeper of the Year at Philadelphia Union had just turned seven at the time.

“I would definitely say that moment (France ‘98 qualification) was vital in my career,” Blake acknowledged. “The World Cup is the biggest tournament. To even play in the World Cup Qualifiers is an honour. But the goal is to play in the World Cup Finals.”

Twice before, Blake has led the Boyz into a World Cup campaign.

“I feel that we’re getting closer,” he said. “I’ve grown as a player and the team has grown as well. Hopefully, the next time the team can go all the way.

“It’s going to come down to everybody working together, everybody wanting the same thing. We have talent, there’s no doubt about that,” said Blake. “We just need one accord and then we just push together because as a country, when we come together, we know how strong we can be.”

Michael Ricketts, president of the JFF, attested to that in a recent interview with The Gleaner.

After commenting on the marketing and coaching aspects, he said: “It’s a team effort, and we just want to work together, and when the right time comes, we can execute with good results.”