Burrell urges Boyz to lift game against Argentina

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina -- Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Captain Horace Burrell has charged his Jamaican players to give of their best when they face the mighty Argentina in a friendly international here tomorrow night.

The Reggae Boyz face the two-time World Cup champions here in the resort town of Mar del Plata at the Jose Minela stadium at 10:30 pm (8:30 pm Jamaica time), with head coach Diego Maradona using the opportunity to search for players to fill his World Cup Finals 23-man roster.

"Our players, on Wednesday, will be afforded one of the greatest opportunities of their football careers to play against Argentina in Argentina," said Captain Burrell at the team's hotel, just prior to their penultimate training session at the Kimberley Atletico Club.

He added: "The JFF has been able to pull off what to many (people) was an impossible task, but having arranged the game, now the players must go and do the rest... they have a responsibility to get out there and to do their best, to perform well on the pitch and understand that the world will be watching this game.

"A good performance in this game is going to open several other doors for the Jamaican football programme in time to come," the JFF boss said in a serious tone.

Captain Burrell, a Caribbean Football Union vice-president and FIFA Disciplinary Committee member, was quick to point out that he was not being irrational by demanding a victory over the eighth-ranked FIFA team, but only that the players perform to the best of their abilities.

"Not many small teams would have got an opportunity like this and all I ask for is for players to recognise the importance of this game from a number of standpoints and give it our best. We have to understand that we are talking about one of the best teams in the world and we are not saying that we are going to go there and beat up on Argentina, but let us understand where we are at... I expect a good performance from every single player on that team."

Shortly before departing the Argentina Football Association (AFA) headquarters in Buenos Aires on Sunday for the five-hour bus ride to Mar del Plata, Captain Burrell reiterated the importance of the game to the country's football programme.

Yesterday he could not help but repeat his charge.

"It's a tremendously important moment for Jamaica, but the game aside, first of all let us put things in perspective... for Argentina, who are currently World Cup bound, to invite Jamaica who didn't qualify for the World Cup and who are ranked where we are, to be considered is a tremendous honour and I'm not sure many people recognise what is really happening."

And Captain Burrell took pride in offering that the Jamaican football programme has come full circle.

"We have been very fortunate and all of this happened because of my personal relationship with the AFA's president Julio Grondona... I have always been asking him to allow his team to play against Jamaica and it is something I've been working on for years and it has come true. Not only has this game happened, in the past when we have visited Brazil and Argentina, we had to pay our way, pay hotel accommodation, pay for training and all of that... today I have lived to see the Reggae Boyz come of age where we have come to Argentina where all airfares, hotel accommodation and to top it all off, a match fee, albeit a small match fee of US$20,000 is what the AFA has agreed.

"This is unheard of and therefore I want all of Jamaica to realise what is about o happen on Wednesday."

Maradona assembled his team at the AFA Headquarters yesterday following Sunday's round of matches, while the Jamaicans were taken through their paces in a scrimmage games for about an hour on an artificial surface, while yesterday they worked out until nightfall at the Kimberley Atletico Club.

They are scheduled to practise at the match venue today.

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