West slam Whitmore’s sacking - Powell: It must have been a couple weeks of stress for Tappa

Western Bureau:

Football stakeholders from western Jamaica are disgruntled by yesterday's decision by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to sack Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore from his role as head coach of the country's men's senior football team, the Reggae Boyz.

In a short release yesterday, the JFF said: "Head coach of Jamaica's men's National Team, Theodore Whitmore, has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

"Bearing in mind that the World Cup campaign is still ongoing, the JFF has decided to appoint assistant Paul Hall to lead until the World Cup cycle ends.

"The JFF wishes to thank Mr Whitmore for work that he has put in with the team over the years."

Whitmore's sacking came following an eight-game Concacaf World Cup qualification run that yielded just seven points from 24 available, including a 3-0 home loss to Panama and the JFF's executive committee agreed with a recommendation from the organisation's technical committee that Whitmore be sacked. Whitmore's tenure as head coach had come up for review during a technical committee meeting after the Reggae Boyz had a 1-1 draw with the United States at the National Stadium on November 16.

Former national players Durrant 'Tatty' Brown and Paul 'Tegat' Davis and Montego Bay United FC president Orville Powell have all slammed the decision. Brown, Whitmore's teammate at the 1998 World Cup in France, is strongly against the decision as he believes Whitmore was the right man to get Jamaica to the next World Cup.

"It doesn't make any sense for them (JFF) to fire Theodore. I'm sorry to hear that because it's Theodore who should have the team until the qualifiers end," Brown said.

"This can't give them a better chance to go to the World Cup. They are trying a thing and talking about better chance but they just fired our better chance. JFF don't know what they are doing. Right now some of the players might not even want to play and just go through the motion because Theodore is not there," he added.

While understanding the unforgiving nature of their job, newly appointed coach of Jamaica Premier League outfit Arnett Gardens FC, 'Tegat' Davis, believes more faith should have been shown in his former teammate.

"It's unfortunate, I think they should have let him finish the campaign. I thought we were doing well until this campaign but you know our job as coaches is a delicate one all over the world. People want results. I have to sympathise with him, I was at Mt Pleasant and now I'm out," Davis, Whitmore's former teammate at the Montego Bay-based Seba FC, said.

"People are talking about two weeks ago but I think it was in the pipeline from a long time ago. It was in the air and when you heard (members of) the JFF talk you could read between the lines,"

Powell said the decision was expected based on the recommendation but described the way the situation was handled over the past weeks few was traumatic for Jamaica's football icon.

"Based on the recommendation (by the technical committee) I don't see what else the JFF could have done and a decision had to be made. It was a situation where the decision going either way would be criticised especially because of the delay and how it was handled," Powell said.

"It must have been a couple weeks of stress for Tappa. I would not wish for anybody to go through what he went through. I don't like how it was dealt with because although coaches know what they are getting into, this was traumatic," he added.

Powell questioned the rational for making a change now to qualify the team for the 2022 World Cup. He noted that with a mountain to climb in the qualifications having another coach already in the system or locally won't provide any improvement.

"If we want a change by firing him now we would have to get a 'big coach'. If we should get someone from the system or locally I don't think they are better than Tappa. If we look at Tappa's record now it would look like he is the best coach Jamaica has ever seen," Powell said. The Reggae Boyz sit sixth in the Concacaf eight-team final round table. Canada, on 16 points, lead with the United States next on 15 while Mexico and Panama round out the top four with 14 points each. Costa Rica are just ahead of the Reggae Boyz on nine points.

Whitmore returned to the senior national team as its head coach for the second time in January 2017, four years after his first stint ended in 2013. In his first spell as head coach which started in June 2009, he took charge of 53 games, winning 24, drawing eight and losing 21. In his second stint he took charge of 52 games and won 23, drew 13 and lost 16. In his final spell he took the Reggae Boyz to the Gold Cup final in 2017 as the semi-finals in 2019. Jamaica's Boyz and United Kingdom-based head coach Hall, also a member of the 1998 World Cup squad, now have six remaining games to play catch-up. The top three teams from Concacaf qualify automatically to the FIFA World Cup while a play-off berth will go to the fourth-place team.

The team plays Mexico inside the National Stadium on January 27, 2021 then Panama away on January 30. They are at home to Costa Rica on February 2, then host El Salvador on March 24. They are away to Canada on March 27 and host Honduras on March 30.