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Reggae Boyz recruited from overseas should be passionate for Jamaica

Published:Friday | May 7, 2021 | 12:12 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I have issues with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the Reggae Boyz coaching fraternity in the recruiting of England-born Boyz for our upcoming Gold Cup and the World Cup campaigns. I believe that they are not patriotic to our cause and are only seeking the best avenues to get them into better financial standings. The least we expect of these foreign players is for them to suitably know the national anthem and national pledge, among other things.

Another issue I have with the JFF is the number of England-based players being recruited without really acknowledging the pros and cons. Are we that desperate to have these players to represent us? We need to take the best of the England-based players. Remember in 1988 when we recruited Lennie Dennis from England, to stave off the USA challenge? It was a well-publicised match in Jamaica, where it was said that “Lennie Dennis is coming so our goalscoring problems are over.” When the match ended everybody was left disappointed.

We should do due diligence when recruiting overseas-based players, weigh the pros and the cons, and importantly also do our best to train and groom local talent.

PARIS TAYLOR

paristaylor82@hotmail.com