Ricketts should have resigned in tribute to Girlz

WHEN NOTED local football analyst and coach Andrew Pryce stated long before the Women’s World Cup that Jamaica would advance from the group stages; many wondered where he got the chutzpah, particularly with powerhouses France and Brazil around.

In fact, the only other Jamaicans who were armed with that confidence were the Reggae Girlz.

Chief among the doubters was the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), led by Michael Ricketts.

Unlike the other teams in the group, there was an obvious dearth of support from the JFF for the ladies. This includes the lack of quality friendly matches as part of their preparation.

I heard Mr Ricketts in interviews denying that a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the team to go to the tournament.

Sir, you are using semantics to deny facts.

Though the Jamaican-womanlike act of springing into action in a time of crisis by the mother of one of the girls may not have been necessary for the trip to happen, there was an obvious need that wasn’t being filled.

Following the result against Brazil, the JFF called for others to get on board.

One wonders which board was being referenced when the JFF was not on board with the Girlz, but now acting like some men who only try to be relevant in their children’s lives when there is an element or inkling of success.

While the Girlz were struggling and crying for the JFF to help, Ricketts remained silent.

However, after qualification for the second round, here came a sanctimonious and evangelical president, talking to the media, reeling off what they had done for the Girlz and talking about good relationships.

In case someone is suffering from amnesia, selective or otherwise, the president needs to be reminded of the JFF’s failure with the Reggae Boyz and various age-group teams.

The only good thing about the current state of the JFF is that it is at its nadir and can only rise from there.

When Dennis Chung went to the JFF from the private sector, no one thought he was a panacea for the malady called incompetence in the JFF, but we certainly expected at least some changes.

However, if he is surrounded by individuals with the inability to perform at the levels required of their office, the thought of change is more cast in abstract than reality.

Jamaica’s women’s volleyball team, the Rhythm Girls, won the Caribbean Championships for the first time. The Reggae Girlz through self-belief, created history. And Connie Francis’ Sunshine Girls returned to a World Cup podium after a long time in the wilderness.

All these were Independence gifts, and Michael Ricketts could have put the icing on the cake by tendering his resignation with immediate effect.

The above opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. Steve Brown may be contacted at stevbrownie@yahoo.com