Coley urges JFF to build relationships with clubs

Former national assistant coach Miguel Coley says the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) must act quickly in building good relationships with clubs as the Reggae Boyz face a hectic 2021 football season.

The Reggae Boyz will have a stacked schedule starting from June of next year, when they play four games in that month during their World Cup final round qualifying campaign.

Three of those games will be away fixtures to Concacaf powerhouse teams Mexico and the United States along with perennial contenders Costa Rica.

The following month, the Boyz will take part in the Gold Cup, which runs from July 10 to August 1.

MANAGEMENT IS CRITICAL

With Theodore Whitmore and his staff looking at a possible 10 games in seven weeks, Coley believes the management of players will be critical, as the Boyz push to qualify for their second FIFA World Cup and make another deep run at the Gold Cup.

“The summer will be hectic for players coming off a long season during a pandemic. Managing the players and building good relationships with the clubs will be critical in having the best players to represent the national team. I know the Jamaican management team is well experienced in this, but I believe it’s worth noting and is something we have to address early,” said Coley.

When asked about the possibility of using two squads for the tournaments, Whitmore said he and his staff have been looking into the possibility and that they will soon be making a decision as to how they will approach the situation.

Jamaica will bow into Gold Cup action in Group C, where they will square off with Costa Rica, Suriname and a preliminary round qualifier, which could be either Guatemala, Guyana, Guadeloupe of The Bahamas.

The Reggae Boyz have made the final of two the last three Gold Cup tournaments and made the semis in the other and Coley believes Whitmore and his charges can make another deep run in the tournament.

“I believe Jamaica has a very good generation of players and based on their history, especially in the last two Gold Cup Tournaments, they should advance to the next stage easily. Having had the better of Suriname in the last few encounters and being very competitive against Costa Rica, the Reggae Boyz have a great chance of topping the group,” said Coley.