Reggae Boyz disappointed – ‘We’ve let down our nation,’ says player after team misses World Cup

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

A number of Jamaica’s local-based players said they were very disheartened by the fact that the Reggae Boyz failed to qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup tournament, which will be held in Brazil in June and July.

The Reggae Boyz finished at the bottom of the standing in the final-round CONCACAF qualifiers with four points.

The Boyz, who qualified for the World Cup in 1998 in France, also failed to record a victory in the 10-match campaign.

Deeply saddened

Goalkeeper Richard McCallum, who stood between the sticks for the Reggae Boyz in their 1-1 draw against Costa Rica at the National Stadium, said he was deeply saddened by their poor performance in the qualifiers.

“It felt like we had let down our nation because we took a task upon ourselves that we were unable to complete,” said McCallum. “I think that the fact that we confirmed our elimination in front of our home fans made it more heart-breaking for us,” said McCallum, who plies his trade for Waterhouse in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).

He added: “The team not [being] able to qualify has certainly dampened our spirits because all the players were extremely disappointed, as they felt that they had let down our supporters who have supported us throughout the campaign.”

Defender Kemar Lawrence, who was called into the Reggae Boyz squad midway the campaign – after injuries had ruled out a number of key players, but failed to make an appearance in any of the games – said he was very disappointed that Jamaica failed to progress to the World Cup.

“I feel very sad because if we had qualified for the World Cup, a lot of opportunities would have opened up for the local players,” said the 21-year-old Lawrence, who represents Harbour View in the RSPL.

“All the players were also very disappointed because we had our sights set on qualifying for the World Cup and we had the team to get us there, but it just did not work out for us,” Lawrence said.

All not lost

Lawrence, who was appointed Jamaica’s brand ambassador for Pepsi in January, added that all was not lost and he was now looking forward to cementing his place in the team for the next World Cup campaign.

“I am looking forward to the next World Cup because I have the age and I am also in the set-up, and so it is definitely a chance for me to go to the next one,” said Lawrence, adding that he will be rooting for Portugal to win this year’s World Cup.

Midfielder Romario Campbell, who was brought into the Reggae Boyz team by head coach Winfried Schafer for the final two games of the qualifiers, also expressed disappointment.

“I am very disappointed because I think we had a glorious chance to go to the World Cup, but we didn’t make use of it,” said Campbell. “I think that we drew too many games and we also didn’t make use of our home games.”

He added: “I think we didn’t play well overall in most of our homes games, because if we had won most of the home games, then we would stand a chance of going to the World Cup.”

Campbell, who plays for Waterhouse in the RSPL, stated he is also looking forward to the Reggae Boyz’s next World Cup campaign.

“It is always my dream to play in the World Cup, and so I just have to do my best to stay in the side so that I can be a part of the team going forward to the next tournament in 2018,” said Campbell, who noted that he will be rooting for Argentina to win this year’s World Cup competition.