Tweet
2006 - a bad year for Jamaica's Reggae Boyz <DIV class=KonaBody xVlvo="true">
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
( L - R ) JFF boss Crenston Boxhill and Bora Milutinovic - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer</DIV>
Ask any avid local football fan to jog his or her memory for the highlights of 2006 and the answers are bound to be as varied as the persons answering. Bridgeport High's unexpected victory in the Manning Cup and Glenmuir's predictable victory in the daCosta Cup are sure to pop up first.
Of course there was also the forgettable memory of Jamaica being eliminated in the first round of the Digicel Caribbean Cup, hence missing out on a spot in this year's Gold Cup.
Then there was the 'bright light' at the end of the tunnel with the signing of renowned coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic for four years, which, it is hoped, will culminate in a World Cup appearance in South Africa in 2010.
Bora, a charismatic man who has achieved World Cup success with five different countries, has been compared to Brazilian Rene Simoes who took Jamaica to the France World Cup in 1998. The nation eagerly waits to see if that comparison is deserving.
Memorable chase
Earlier in the year there was Waterhouse's memorable chase and conquer in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League as they overcame a 13-point deficit to win their first title since 1998 and leave all of Harbour View wondering, what happened?
That subsequently led to the Harbour View management revising their technical committee and in came Lenworth Hyde as Donovan Hayles was put in charge of the Under-21 team.
Last year again saw president of the Jamaica Football Federation, Crenston Boxhill, battling to complete his four-year term. On January 15, parish delegates, believed to be supporters of former president Captain Horace Burrell, raised a no-confidence motion at the JFF's annual congress at Munro College, St. Elizabeth.
Boxhill survives
The detractors, as Boxhill calls them, had the majority of votes 53-51, but failed to secure the two-third needed to remove him from office. Boxhill once again survived a no-confidence motion (the first being in February, 2005), leaving little to the imagination as to what will happen when his term expires in November of this year.
One of the reasons Boxhill was being shown such little respect was the poor results by the men's national senior team, which his administration was directly being blamed for. The notorious England tour in May and June did nothing to help, as the Reggae Boyz were hammered by Ghana (4-1) and England (6-0). Things got even worst with players Jason Euell, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Marlon King being suspended for breaking an unspecified curfew. Euell's and Campbell-Ryce's bans were later lifted, but a decision is yet to be made on King.
On a brighter side, the Reggae Girlz maintained their dominance in the Caribbean, winning another regional title.
They were unbeaten throughout the competition, scoring 29 goals while not conceding any. They also had creditable fourth place finishes in the CONCACAF Under-20 tournament and the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, both times losing to Canada in the semi-finals then Mexico in the third-place play-off.
Harbour View, with a number of players on the national side, won the women's Sherwin Williams premier league and the knockout competition.
Last year also saw a number of big overseas signings for Jamaican players, headed by the Claude Davis deal with English Premier League side Sheffield United.
<IMG src="http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20070126/sports/image
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
( L - R ) JFF boss Crenston Boxhill and Bora Milutinovic - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer</DIV>
Ask any avid local football fan to jog his or her memory for the highlights of 2006 and the answers are bound to be as varied as the persons answering. Bridgeport High's unexpected victory in the Manning Cup and Glenmuir's predictable victory in the daCosta Cup are sure to pop up first.
Of course there was also the forgettable memory of Jamaica being eliminated in the first round of the Digicel Caribbean Cup, hence missing out on a spot in this year's Gold Cup.
Then there was the 'bright light' at the end of the tunnel with the signing of renowned coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic for four years, which, it is hoped, will culminate in a World Cup appearance in South Africa in 2010.
Bora, a charismatic man who has achieved World Cup success with five different countries, has been compared to Brazilian Rene Simoes who took Jamaica to the France World Cup in 1998. The nation eagerly waits to see if that comparison is deserving.
Memorable chase
Earlier in the year there was Waterhouse's memorable chase and conquer in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League as they overcame a 13-point deficit to win their first title since 1998 and leave all of Harbour View wondering, what happened?
That subsequently led to the Harbour View management revising their technical committee and in came Lenworth Hyde as Donovan Hayles was put in charge of the Under-21 team.
Last year again saw president of the Jamaica Football Federation, Crenston Boxhill, battling to complete his four-year term. On January 15, parish delegates, believed to be supporters of former president Captain Horace Burrell, raised a no-confidence motion at the JFF's annual congress at Munro College, St. Elizabeth.
Boxhill survives
The detractors, as Boxhill calls them, had the majority of votes 53-51, but failed to secure the two-third needed to remove him from office. Boxhill once again survived a no-confidence motion (the first being in February, 2005), leaving little to the imagination as to what will happen when his term expires in November of this year.
One of the reasons Boxhill was being shown such little respect was the poor results by the men's national senior team, which his administration was directly being blamed for. The notorious England tour in May and June did nothing to help, as the Reggae Boyz were hammered by Ghana (4-1) and England (6-0). Things got even worst with players Jason Euell, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Marlon King being suspended for breaking an unspecified curfew. Euell's and Campbell-Ryce's bans were later lifted, but a decision is yet to be made on King.
On a brighter side, the Reggae Girlz maintained their dominance in the Caribbean, winning another regional title.
They were unbeaten throughout the competition, scoring 29 goals while not conceding any. They also had creditable fourth place finishes in the CONCACAF Under-20 tournament and the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, both times losing to Canada in the semi-finals then Mexico in the third-place play-off.
Harbour View, with a number of players on the national side, won the women's Sherwin Williams premier league and the knockout competition.
Last year also saw a number of big overseas signings for Jamaican players, headed by the Claude Davis deal with English Premier League side Sheffield United.
<IMG src="http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20070126/sports/image