THE EDITOR, Sir:
WHEN JAMAICA qualified for the 1998 World Cup I stood in the National Stadium with pride in my heart and tears in my eyes watching as the Reggae Boyz did cartwheels, Rene Simoes was hoisted shoulder high and Jamaicans cried, laughed and hugged each other. Time stood still as Jamaica made history.
Recently, I stood in the National Stadium having already come to grips with the disappointment of not reaching a second consecutive World Cup. However, there was still pride in my heart and tears in my eyes. The talent and determination was the standard that should have been seen at the start of the campaign.
To Carl Brown and Peter Cargill, I say congratulations for a job well done. Chances are you probably won't be in charge of the programme for the 2006 qualifying and I think that is a pity. There are few things greater than the pride of representing one's country. A foreign coach may provide the technical expertise but he is not a Jamaican and can never feel the pride of doing well for Jamaica. Foreign coaches are, simply put, "guns for hire". What captain Linval Dixon and the rest of the team showed recently was more than just talent. It was pride, grit and determination.
My only disappointment was seeing more Costa Ricans in the Stadium than Jamaicans. Where were the over 30,000 so-called football fans that crammed into the Stadium when it was fashionable to do so? The management, coaches and players would have loved the show of solidarity. The Jamaicans who did attend the game was a non-stop cheering force and that too made me proud to be Jamaican.
The Japan/South Korea road has ended but Germany 2006 beckons and I look forward to that campaign with eagerness.
I am, etc.,
KAREN D. MADDEN
Kingston
