‘Tatty’ Brown: It was a big party when we qualified for France 98

Western Bureau:

As Jamaica celebrates 24 years to the day the national team qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, former Reggae Boy Durrant 'Tatty' Brown says he would relish a chance to relive that moment.

"It was like fun and a big party when we qualified. If I could, I would like to relive that moment not just for myself but for everyone in Jamaica. If you remember, the prime minister declared a holiday the day after," Brown recalled.

Brown, 57, was a solid defender for the Reggae Boyz in his prime and even up until last year before the COVID-19 pandemic halted all football he was playing with Constant Spring FC in the Masters League football. He noted that it would be unfair to expect the current team, whose players are playing professionally in many different countries and leagues around the world, to have the same level of team spirit and cohesion they had with the limited time available for international football.

We could beat any team

"The cohesion and brotherhood, it was like another family away from our blood family. To me we were even closer than our blood families. The way we gelled together we felt invincible - it was like we could beat any team. We even played Brazil in Miami and gave them some problems," Brown said.

"With this team right now, it's going to be hard to gel together like that one (the 1998 squad), because we were in camp for months. It's not a problem created by the Jamaica Football Federation or coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, it is how the entire football fraternity has changed. With the players always with their clubs and only getting a week or two for international football it is always going to affect the cohesion of the team. We just have to work as best as we can in the time that we have," he added.

He continued: "See, we got three or four days together last week and we played well although we didn't win. Suppose we were to get a month, what do you think would happen? We would create miracles because the team is good, very talented."

Since 1998, the Reggae Boyz have not made it back to the finals of football's show-piece event, the World Cup. Brown expressed that he would be 'drunk with excitement' if the Reggae Boyz qualified for next year's World Cup in Qatar.

"I would love to see them qualify. Right now, I would like to see them beat the United States on Tuesday and make me drunk although I don't drink. Just beat America and just take it one match at a time. I really want to see Jamaica qualify for another World Cup."

Brown who resides in his native community of Mt Salem, Montego Bay, says these days he is just enjoying the fact that he has life and time to spend with his grandchildren.