Waite takes control of Reggae Boyz

Michael Ricketts, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), revealed that assistant coach Jerome Waite will be in charge of the Reggae Boyz team for their upcoming friendly international encounters against St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua later this month.

This follows the resignation of head coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore from the post last Friday.

Ricketts told STAR Sports in an interview yesterday, that the federation will be announcing the name of Waite's assistant very shortly.

"I told Whitmore today (yesterday) that in his absence, that his assistant will be in charge of the team going down to the Eastern Caribbean," said Ricketts, while noting that he will not accept the coach's resignation and that he has asked for further meetings with the former national midfielder.

"I will have a meeting with Jerome Waite to just fine-tune and finalise the arrangements," Ricketts said.

"We have a lot of confidence in him because he has been understudying Whitmore for a little while now. We will determine tomorrow (today) who his assistant will be, and we will make public knowledge of it," Ricketts said.

SENIOR PLAYERS

He added that he expects Waite to be received well by the senior players in the Reggae Boyz side.

"You are representing your national team so it doesn't matter if it is Waite, Whitmore or Donovan Duckie, your duty is to give of your best at all times for the country," said Ricketts.

"When we went to Turkey, the team was coached by Duckie because Whitmore fell ill at the last four days of the tour and so Duckie did most of the work for the rest of the visit," he said.

Whitmore, who guided the Reggae Boyz to the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the United States last year, resigned from the post after the JFF failed to give him an improved contract offer.

Ricketts stated that the door is still open for Whitmore to return to his role as head coach.

"I am hopeful and ready for a response and I told him that I am ready, whenever he is ready ( to negotiate)," Ricketts noted.

It's left to be seen if Whitmore will in fact agree to continue negotiations.

The Reggae Boyz will face St Kitts on April 26, before facing Antigua and Barbuda in Antigua three days later.