JA’s new boss eyes World Cup

By Ron Shillingford

Jamaica’s football scene has received a much needed boost since the arrival of the former England manager Steve McClaren, sensationally appointed three weeks ago as head coach on a two-year contract.

This is a huge deal in Caribbean sport, not just football, because McClaren left his assistant coach job at Manchester United to lead the Reggae Boyz.

Although McClaren’s last managerial role was at QPR five years ago, he has a wealth of experience and knowledge having successfully managed Twente in Holland and also led Middlesbrough, Derby County (twice) and Newcastle.

Jamaica were without a manager since Heimir Hallgrímsson left suddenly last month after a disappointing Copa America. The Icelandic coach has since taken charge of the Republic of Ireland.

The Jamaica Football Federation had been assessing numerous candidates with the intention of reaching the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. McClaren, 63, was the outstanding candidate. 

Michael Ricketts, President of the Jamaican federation, said: “We are truly elated to announce the appointment of Mr McClaren as head coach of the Reggae Boyz. We are confident we made the right decision and we are looking forward to him guiding our nation towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup.” The one and only time Jamaica has played in the World Cup finals was in 1998.

McClaren said: “I am extremely proud and excited. I had no hesitation in accepting a position that is ideally suited to me at this stage of my career.”

He added that he was fully aware of Jamaica’s potential before leaving United. McClaren intends to recruit foreign-born stars like Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden and entice Mason Greenwood - who recently joined Marseille for $35 million. Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey may also be attracted back having resigned from internationals in January.

McClaren said: “We want to get to a World Cup. To be a good team, we must get the best players. If that means we can use heritage players, we will do it. Local players must be good enough. Heritage players must be good enough.”

Dennis Chung is JFF General Secretary. He said: “When the last coach (Hallgrimsson) suddenly resigned, the same night that it was announced we started to get applications from around the world, from some very well-known names, as the Reggae Boyz brand is well known and a lot of persons were interested in the opportunity the Reggae Boyz name presents.

“One of the attractions is the fact that the quality that the team has shown over the past two years (making it to COPA, third in Nation’s League, and Gold Cup semi-finalists) it is very likely that we will be going to the World Cup.

“This is something we know that many coaches would like to do. Having around 50 applications (without any advertising), we were able to do proper comparisons and selection based on the characteristics that we think will fit with the team and our culture.

“Based on these considerations we came down to Steve McClaren, who so far has demonstrated that he will be the right fit and he has shown commitment, as he sees this as a project he would like to be successful at as he has accomplished a lot already and is doing this more as a challenge as he has already established his name.

“Based on this it wasn’t a difficult negotiation and we are happy with the coach. He has also been received very well by the technical team he will be working with.”

What about attracting top UK and European names? Chung said: “The coach has indicated that he is looking at all players globally, and the best ones will be chosen. Most importantly he has indicated that players have to show a commitment to playing before they are selected.

“They will have to show interest in wanting to play for Jamaica and this would also mean getting the paperwork in order. All players with that interest and who qualify will be looked at, he said.”