Coach Blaine situation comes at worst possible time – Edwards
JFF makes plans to swiftly solve problems, training camps, practice games put on hold
Published:Sunday | May 1, 2022 | 12:10 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
FORMER NATIONAL women’s head coach Charles Edwards says that a rift between the players and national interim head coach Vin Blaine could not have come at a worse time, and that a speedy resolution is necessary so as not to derail their World Cup qualifying hopes.
His comments come as reports surfaced that the Reggae Girlz submitted a letter to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) requesting the removal of the interim head coach.
Despite enjoying four straight wins on the way to the final round of the Concacaf Women’s Championship, Blaine confirmed that an 18-point letter, signed by a senior player and 19 others, was sent pointing to issues regarding coaching, communication and organisation.
Blaine pointed to persons he described as “strong outside influencers” who wanted to see him out of the post since his appointment in December.
While Edwards is hoping for an amicable resolution, he is not optimistic about Blaine continuing on in these circumstances.
“This is not what we wanted at this time. We started with a few hiccups already and we kind of got the programme back on track, qualified for the next round, and this is like a shot in the arm,” Edwards told The Sunday Gleaner.
“When you think about squashing it and all of that, figuring out how to get beyond that and keep the same parties, I don’t see that happening right now, because there is going to be a lack of confidence from the players, from the coaches.”
Blaine’s appointment came on the heels of the suspension of Hubert Busby Jr after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES
Blaine’s claims of outside influences being at the root of the problem make matters worse in Edwards’ eyes.
“Outside forces in your programme is not a good thing. If there are outside forces, even if you put another coach in place, then there is still going to be that outside force. So they have to find out the outside force and try and find a way to squash it,” Edwards said.
“With the hiccup presently in front of us and the programme needs to go on, then, the only option is to remove the coach. But the next problem is that who is out there to replace the coach?”
JFF president Michael Ricketts said that the plans for training camps and international fixtures in preparation for July’s final round in Mexico have been placed on hold until the situation is resolved. According to the JFF boss, that resolution is being sought post-haste.
“It has to be concerning. But, like I’ve said, we want to ensure that we bring this to a resolution as quickly as we can. We are working on that. We will be having a discussion with some key members and we’ll certainly be making an announcement in short order,” Ricketts said.
Edwards says that it is imperative common ground be reached, as it will be to Jamaica’s detriment if the situation results in a failed World Cup qualification campaign.
“All parties need to sit down, dialogue and find a common direction that everybody can be happy travelling forward with. Because the only losers that can come from this is the players. A golden opportunity is presented right in front of us to go to the World Cup again. We need to get our act together, we need to sort it out,” Edwards said.
Blaine indicated in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday that the situation could strain the player-coach relationship and that he would make a decision regarding his future in a few weeks.