The Mike Ricketts-led Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) executive will in short order make a determination on the future of national senior men’s team head coach Theodore Whitmore.
This is believed to be so after the technical committee led by Rudolph Speid convened a meeting on Wednesday night where the majority of the members voted to relieve the 1998 World Cup star midfielder of his duties. It is said that the seven-member panel voted 5-2 on the motion to dismantle the coaching set-up.
The technical committee meets after every round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers and review the team’s performance, as well as the coach’s report.
It is unlikely that Whitmore’s report for the last two games against El Salvador and the US was submitted in time for Wednesday’s meeting.
Speid’s technical committee is reported to have said that it is not satisfied with the current coaching staff led by Whitmore and that a change was necessary.
The recommendation was part of the technical committee’s report to the JFF’s five-man executive which is expected to meet soon to consider the technical committee’s recommendation.
It is understood that a hastily arranged virtual video meeting was arranged early yesterday afternoon but a technical glitch scuppered the effort.
If Ricketts’ executive accepts the recommendation, then it will go to the JFF board of directors for ratification.
It was also reported that at Wednesday night’s meeting which ended near midnight, the panel voted 6-1 to continue participating in the six remaining World Cup qualifying games, considering that there is still a slim chance of advancing to Qatar.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that former England international Ricky Hill was the man earmarked to replace Whitmore, but that was rubbished by Ricketts.
It is now being strongly whispered that Paul Hall, the former Reggae Boy, now assistant coach to Whitmore since the summer, is the front runner to take the top job should the recommendation be accepted.
However, Caribbean News Weekly understands that there could be a number of dissenting voices if and when the matter goes before the board for ratification.
A few directors have expressed concerns with the timing and the knock-on effect sacking Whitmore at this time could have on the players.
Not a Good Idea to sack the coach
Already some players have said that it is not a good idea to sack the coach at this time, especially now that the team is gelling and on an upward trajectory.
One individual with knowledge of the situation said that Ricketts has already set the stage for dismissal when he voiced his personal disappointment with the fortunes of the team at the Gold Cup and in the current World Cup campaign.
The JFF boss had said that Theodore Whitmore and his support team were given everything asked for which came as a huge investment for an impoverished federation.
The Reggae Boyz are currently lying in sixth place in the eight-team standings with seven points. Canada lead with 16 points, followed by the US on 15, Mexico and Panama on 14, with Costa Rica on nine points.
El Salvador sit seventh with six points and Honduras remain at the foot of the table on three points.
Only the top three teams at the end of the round-robin series will earn automatic qualification to the Qatar World Cup Finals with the fourth-placed team given another opportunity via an intercontinental play-off.
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