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So, what about Mr Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore?Friday, October 17, 2008
We don't expect to be lauded for this, but given the sort of publicity that has been given in the past to the millions upon millions that the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has paid in salaries to coaches like Serb Mr Bora Milutinovic and Brazillian Mr Rene Simoes, we can't resist asking, indeed hoping, that some form of financial reward will be made to Jamaican Mr Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore.
As everyone should know by now, Mr Whitmore - who took over as interim coach for Jamaica's national football team after Mr Horace Burrell, president of the JFF, unceremoniously cut off Mr Simoes in the wake of Jamaica's loss to Honuduras in that country last month - has supervised our national team's back-to-back home wins against Mexico and Honduras over the past week.
So Mr Whitmore, in his own quiet way, played an instrumental role in reviving the fortunes of the national football team.
This, at a time when popular opinion held that the road to the World Cup in South Africa was all but closed to the 'Boyz'.
Maybe, given the odds, it ultimately will be.
But for now, thanks to the efforts of the Boyz, headed by Mr Whitmore, the nation can continue to hope and dream that we will qualify.
But even as we get ready to revel in the sweet euphoria of victory that is reminiscent of that inspired by the performances of our athletes at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August, we must ask some hard questions that have to do with the sincerity of the confidence we claim to have in our people.
For although we have no trouble expressing our love and appreciation for our winners as far as shouting, back-slapping and grinning our teeth go, the truth is that when it comes to investment and remuneration, especially where our local footballers are concerned, corporate Jamaica, as a majority, has been stunningly slack.
Local clubs, from which much of the national talent springs, are often left to go a-begging, as scarce resources make it harder than is necessary for them to advance.
Millions were unhesitatingly paid to Mr Milutinovic and Mr Simoes, and, we expect, will be paid to an untried and unproven Mr Johnny Barnes, but we are yet to see anything even remotely comparable being paid to our homegrown talents, even when - as in the instant case - they demonstrate, beyond a doubt, their ability to outshine the foreigners.
Come November 1, Mr Barnes will take over as coach of the Reggae Boyz. However, yesterday the JFF decided that Mr Whitmore will bear the responsibility for what happens come November 19 when the Boyz meet Canada.
As we have said before, we wish Mr Barnes all the best and begrudge him none of the benefits that we know he had the knowledge to negotiate for as compensation for relocating from England to Jamaica, in addition to the work which he will do with the Boyz.
Obviously corporate Jamaica in its wisdom sees in him and the other foreign coaches what it can't in Mr Whitmore and other local talents.
More's the pity.
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