Hallgrimsson resignation not related to Copa results – JFF

JAMAICA FOOTBALL Federation (JFF) General Secretary Dennis Chung has confirmed the decision by Heimir Hallgrimsson to resign as head coach of the Reggae Boyz was not related to the team’s performance at the 2024 Copa America.

Hallgrimsson announced his resignation following Jamaica’s final Copa America group stage game on Sunday.

The Jamaicans came away from the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Mexico, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Ecuador, and a second-half collapse that led to a 3-0 scoreline against Venezuela.

Chung explained Hallgrimsson’s resignation was not influenced by the team’s poor results at the international tournament.

He said the decision was made for personal reasons as well as Hallgrimsson wanting to return to Iceland after two years in Jamaica.

“He had indicated when he spoke to us that it is a personal situation,” he said.

“It had nothing to do with performance or anything like that. He had wanted to go back to Iceland and the environment, so it had nothing to do with anything about performance issues.”

According to Chung, the JFF had complete faith in Hallgrimsson’s vision as the head coach and did not ask for him to resign at any point.

The two parties came to a mutual decision and left on friendly terms.

“He expressed that the situation here was very different from other coaching situations that we see around the world,” Chung explained.

“No one was fired nor was anyone asked to leave. He took the decision voluntarily because of his personal situation. It was a very amicable thing because he did express that he would still be very supportive to the team.”

JFF search

The next step for the JFF will be searching to find the next head coach ahead of CONCACAF Nations League fixtures in September, as well as the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June next year.

Chung explained the process will be helped by the fact Hallgrimsson had put plans in place to help the team’s management in his absence.

“The technical committee has already started the process. But remember, we do have a supporting staff and one of the good things that Hallgrimsson was very good at, was ensuring that he had proper documentations and everything in place to smooth the transition.

“He was able to show us all the information that he had and he shared all of that with the staff there, so we don’t think there will be a huge issue.”

While the JFF is yet to convene regarding an official report on the team’s performance at the Copa America, Chung said he, personally, believes the team gave a good account of themselves.

Despite being eliminated without a win, he felt the Reggae Boyz were able to match up against teams expected to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

“We think the players are very professional and it is unfortunate how everything played out. People don’t understand that to make it to Copa America is significant. It is like finishing eighth in a 100m finals but you’re among the eight best in the world.

“There is some improvement that can happen but when I look at that team, I have no doubt that the team can make it to the World Cup.”