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World Cup Countdown - Jamaica
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Where Are They Now? John Connelly
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World Cup Countdown - Jamaica
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 Features 3 
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WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN
NO. 16 - JAMAICA
They'll sell a load of merchandise and will be almost everyone's second team, but can Jamaica's Reggae Boyz live up to coach Rene Simoes' claims that they will shock the world next month?
JAMAICA'S Reggae Boyz are cashing in on their sudden rise to football prominence and are threatening to party all the way through France after qualifying for their first World Cup Finals.
The man most responsible for steering Jamaica to France 98 is Brazilian coach Rene Simoes. Since being appointed in October 1994, he has revolutionised Jamaican football to the point where some people are taking his claims that the Reggae Boyz will be the sensation of France 98 seriously. We can always dream, said Simoes. When I said to my players in 1994 that we could qualify, they thought I was mad. So why can't we emulate what Cameroon did in 1990?" The Brazilian's methods have been controversial to say the least - when he took over, he said, the players were "like performing seals with the ball on their noses. They had no co-ordination, there was no organisation." Simoes took over the lives of the players, who were nearly all amateurs. The squad divided their time between training camps in Brazil and Jamaica, sleeping in dormitories.
After clinching a place in the final qualifying round, the call went out for reinforcements in the shape of the Caribbean island's English connection. In came Derby's Deon Burton, Paul Hall and Fitzroy Simpson of Portsmouth and Wimbledon's Robbie Earle. The arrival of the so-called UB40s (English Reggae Boyz, see?) gave a talented group of home-grown players the professional belief and commitment they needed to make that final, record-breaking step to France. "Our qualification is not only due to the English professionals, insisted Simoes, praise also goes to those who've played since the start of the qualification campaign. But it's true that those four players have contributed a great deal and they link well with the locals."
In the months since a 2-2 draw with El Salvador made Jamaica the first English-speaking Caribbean country to qualify for the World Cup Finals the traditionally cricket-crazy island has been transformed, with the entire nation getting behind the Reggae Boyz. With endorsements from the likes of clothing company Joe Bloggs and, naturally, a World Cup record in the can, they are doing all they can to cash in on their new-found fame.
Their high profile has helped increase the talent pool Simoes can choose from: "These days, I'm sent lots of videos of players of Jamaican origin who are desperate to join us. I don't see any reason why I should deprive myself if they can contribute." Since qualification, the coach has brought in Frank Sinclair of Chelsea, Wimbledon's Marcus Gayle and Darryl Powell of Derby, leading to some claims in Jamaica that the English connection is being taken too far. The man most islanders want to see in the side is Walter 'Blacka Pearl' Boyd, a hero of the Kingston ghettoes who has had a series of bust-ups with Simoes, accusing the coach of "wanting to play God in his life". The mercurial Boyd is set to miss out on the World Cup, but local talent can still shine in France. Striker Andrew Williams is back in the side after a spell at university in America and Ricardo Gardner is an exciting wing back with the pace and trickery to interest European clubs.
Simoes is convinced that his men can take France 98 by storm, even though they are in a tough group with Argentina, Croatia and Japan. Jamaica will certainly be colourful and exciting to watch, and if they can avoid defeat in their opening match against Croatia, the Reggae Boyz's party could carry on longer than many people expect.
THE ‘GREAT'
Alan 'Skill' Cole
STRANGE BUT TRUE
1. Defender Donald Stewart works as a DJ in Kingston.
2. Deon Burton is known as 'One Love' because his goals for Jamaica nearly always lead to 1-0 wins.
3. National coach Rene Simoes is a professor of physical education.
4. Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Paterson called a national holiday for the day after Jamaica qualified for France 98.
BIGGEST WORLD CUP WIN
5-0 v St Vincent, November 1996
MOST EMBARASSING WORLD CUP DEFEAT
0-8 v Mexico, 1966 qualifiers
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WORLD CUP HISTORY
JAMAICA have little World Cup history to speak of. Before Rene Simoes took over as coach they'd only bothered to enter the qualifying rounds of four out of the 15 previous tournaments - mainly because the Jamaican Football Federation didn't have much money - and failed to get beyond the second round once.
In 1966, Jamaica came through their first-round group after beating Netherlands Antilles and Cuba but they were thrashed by Mexico and Costa Rica in the second round. Twelve years later, Fidel Castro's side beat them 5-1 in the second round. In 1990, Jamaica lost 5-1 on aggregate to the United States and, four years later, they finished third in their group, behind Canada and El Salvador but ahead of mighty Bermuda.
WORLD CUP FINALS RECORD
Year Round reached
1930 Did not enter
1934 Did not enter
1938 Did not enter
1950 Did not enter
1954 Did not enter
1958 Did not enter
1962 Did not enter
1966 Did not qualify
1970 Did not enter
1974 Did not enter
1978 Did not qualify
1982 Did not enter
1986 Did not enter
1990 Did not qualify
1994 Did not qualify
Total games played 0, won 0, drawn 0, lost 0, goals for 0, goals against 0
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HOW THEY QUALIFIED
ONLY two other Caribbean countries (Cuba in 1938 and Haiti in 1974) have qualified for the World Cup Finals. Jamaica made it to France as the third of three qualifiers from the Central and North American (CONCACAF) region - after a marathon qualifying campaign. The road to France 98 began in the spring of 1996 with qualifying round matches against Surinam and Barbados. The first signs that Rene Simoes was creating something special came when the Reggae Boyz beat Mexico in Kingston to finish top of their semi-final group and reach the final group stage. The English contingent of Robbie Earle, Deon Burton, Fitzroy Simpson and Paul Hall were drafted in for these crucial group matches and Burton made a dramatic impact, scoring on his debut against Canada and notching three more in successive matches against Costa Rica, the USA and El Salvador. Jamaica's place in France was sealed by a 2-2 draw with El Salvador in Kingston that prompted wild celebrations.
CONCACAF SECOND ROUND CARIBBEAN ZONE (including scorers for Jamaica)
31.03.96 Surinam 0 Jamaica 1 (Whitmore)
21.04.96 Jamaica 1 Surinam 0 (P Davis)
Jamaica win 2-0 on aggregate
*Jamaica qualify for third round
THIRD ROUND CARIBBEAN ZONE
23.06.96 Barbados 0 Jamaica 1 (Boyd)
30.06.96 Jamaica 2 Barbados 0 (Whitmore, Boyd)
Jamaica win 3-0 on aggregate
*Jamaica qualify for semi-final round
SEMI-FINAL ROUND GROUP 3
15.09.96 Jamaica 3 Honduras 0 (Boyd 2, Whitmore)
23.09.96 St Vincent 1 Jamaica 2 (Young 2)
16.10.96 Mexico 2 Jamaica 1 (Boyd)
27.10.96 Honduras 0 Jamaica 0
10.11.96 Jamaica 5 St Vincent 0 (Whitmore 2, Young, Cargill, Malcolm)
17.11.96 Jamaica 1 Mexico 0 (Goodison)
P W D L F A Pts
*Jamaica
6 4 1 1 12 3 13
Mexico
6 4 0 2 14 6 12
Honduras
6 3 1 2 18 11 10
St Vincent
6 0 0 6 6 30 0
*Jamaica qualify for final round
FINAL ROUND
02.03.97 Jamaica 0 USA 0
13.04.97 Mexico 6 Jamaica 0
27.04.97 Canada 0 Jamaica 0
11.05.97 Costa Rica 3 Jamaica 1 (Williams)
18.05.97 Jamaica 1 El Salvador 0 (Williams)
07.09.97 Jamaica 1 Canada 0 (Burton)
14.09.97 Jamaica 1 Costa Rica 0 (Burton)
03.10.97 USA 1 Jamaica 1 (Burton)
09.11.97 El Salvador 2 Jamaica 2 (Burton, Stewart)
16.11.97 Jamaica 0 Mexico 0
P W D L F A Pts
Mexico
10 4 6 0 23 7 18
USA
10 4 5 1 17 9 17
*Jamaica
10 3 5 2 7 12 14
Costa Rica
10 3 3 4 13 12 12
El Salvador
10 2 4 4 11 16 10
Canada
10 1 3 6 5 20 6
Mexico, USA and Jamaica qualify for finals
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FRANCE 98 FIXTURES
Croatia, June 14, Lens A huge test for the Reggae Boyz in their opening match. If they can avoid defeat, or even snatch a win, against a notoriously inconsistent team, who knows?
Argentina, June 21, Paris Croatia was tough, but meeting the group favourites and potential champions is even more difficult.
Japan, June 26, Lyon Could be a cracker - an open, attacking match between two teams likely to be playing for their only points of the tournament.
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