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Going forward with ‘the Bus’ - JFF looking to secure interim senior women’s team head coach on permanent deal

Published:Thursday | April 23, 2020 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz in a training session at Stade Eugene Thenard in Grenoble, France, last June.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz in a training session at Stade Eugene Thenard in Grenoble, France, last June.

JAMAICA FOOTBALL Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says that the body is behind Hubert Busby Jr leading the senior women’s programme.

Busby was in charge of the senior national women’s team’s Concacaf Olympic-qualifying campaign in the United States in January, where the Reggae Girlz failed to advance to the Tokyo Olympics. They lost their opening game 1-0 to Mexico, then the next 9-0 to Canada, before getting a 7-0 consolation win over St Kitts and Nevis. Busby’s appointment to head coach for the tournament came after the resignations of both Hue Menzies and Lorne Donaldson in December and January, respectively.

Ricketts says that he believes in the ability of the 50-year-old, and once matters including compensation have been addressed, he will be at the helm of the senior team for the foreseeable future.

“I know he was very instrumental in us qualifying for the [FIFA Women’s] World Cup, contrary to what a number of persons might think,” Ricketts told The Gleaner. “I think his heart is in the right place. We have developed a good relationship. I think he will be the coach going forward, as long as we can settle on his remuneration and other issues. I think that he is a good coach and the JFF is supporting Busby.”

Ricketts acknowledged that the initial decision to appoint Busby to the head of the senior post was provisional in light of the departures, but says that his recent work with the under-20 team in the Concacaf Women’s Championship and the good rapport with the JFF technical committee leaves him in good stead.

“When we brought him in it was more of a makeshift decision, but he really has control of the under-20s,” Ricketts said. “The technical department would have had some discussions with him and is very comfortable with Busby. So I think, in the future, he will have a role to play.”

Menzies and Donaldson left the programme because of irreconcilable differences with the federation regarding compensation and issues with the federation’s leadership.

Despite the Reggae Girlz’s unsuccessful Olympic-qualifying campaign, they moved one spot to 50th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s world rankings released on March 27.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com