JAMAICA’S Reggae Boyz will kick off their 2014 World Cup campaign with a friendly international against Canada at the National Stadium on Sunday, January 31. Head honcho of Jamaica’s football, Captain Horace Burrell, said the match-up will significantly mark the official launch of the Boyz’s long journey in their attempt to repeat by qualifying for the FIFA World Cup to be staged in the South American nation of Brazil.

“This will be the official launch of that campaign and we are urging all of Jamaica to come out and lend their full support,” Burrell said from Dubai, United Arab Emirates yesterday, where he is doing duties at the World Club Championships.

Burrell, on his second stint as Jamaica’s football boss and the visionary behind the country’s qualification to the France 1998 Finals, said it’s the mission of the JFF to get an early start to preparations for 2014.

“We would have learnt a number of lessons in the past and we have recognised that preparation is the key ingredient to the World Cup … we won’t be found wanting in this respect this time,” Burrell said.

The Canadians, Burrell explained, will also be using the match-up to kick-start their own World Cup 2014 campaign.

The Canadians, like Jamaica, failed to book a spot in South Africa 2010, which kicks off on June 11.

“They (Canadians) will be taking this game very seriously.

In fact, they will commence a one-week camp in Fort Lauderdale before departing for Jamaica for the game,” said Burrell, a FIFA Disciplinary Committee member.

The senior vice-president of the Caribbean Football Union expects the Canadians, under the guidance of recentlyconfirmed coach Stephen Hart, to field a strong team and has vowed to give local coach Theodore Whitmore “the best help possible”.

“We’ll have the strongest team possible as we aim to give a good showing to home fans who have not seen their team perform on home turf for a spell, plus we want to make a positive start to our Brazil campaign,” said the successful businessman who operates the Captain’s Bakery and Grill, a major sponsor of local football leagues.

While it is not expected that many of the England-based professionals will be available for the encounter, which is not being played on a FIFAsanctioned date, Burrell said, “We will try to get a couple of them.” Scandinavia-based players like Rodolph Austin, Demar Phillips, Eric Vernon, Adrian Reid and Hungary-based Jason Morrison, however, should be a part of the squad.

Also, USbased pros Shavar Thomas, Dane Richards and Omar Cummings are expected to be available for selection.

“The team will also be made up of the best of the pool of local-based players,” said Burrell.

At a time when the cashstrapped federation has hinted at further downsizing as the harsh economic climate takes a toll, Burrell says he is determined to keep football alive, and the Canada contest signals a new era for the Jamaican game.

“Times are hard, but we cannot sacrifice the football programme, therefore as a federation, my executive decided to pull out all the stops to ensure that preparation, not only for this game, but for overall programme keeps pace with the times,” he said.

Burrell, also a member of the Jack Warner-led CONCACAF Executive Committee, explained that the deal with the Canadians has a reciprocal element where the Boyz are due to travel to Canada for a return match in 2010 or 2011, whichever is more convenient for both associations.

“I have developed an excellent relationship with the Canadians since I returned as JFF president, and it is out of this that we were able to broker this reciprocal arrangement,” he said.

And even before the ink has dried on the Boyz/Canada contract, Burrell has disclosed that he is already in discussion with another federation for a game in February, but refused to give further details as negotiations are said to be at a delicate stage.

“Part of our development plan going forward is to have at least one friendly game a month at home and abroad.

I know it will prove challenging, but we must find the resolve to keep the programme active,” he argued.

Apart from providing finetuning for the Boyz leading into the crucial stages of the Brazil qualifying mission, a serioustoned Burrell made it clear that the series of friendly games will serve as examination of the entire programme.

He said these games will serve to “test and assess” all functional systems, the overall administration, the technical competence and players’ skill levels and aptitude to perform at the highest level.

“This will serve to test the mettle of every key component… everyone will be under assessment over a period of time and everyone will be judged by their performance.

“The greatest thing is that we have sufficient time to develop all strategies as it relates to the ultimate goal of getting to Brazil in 2014 and that’s why we will not resort to lastminute preparation,” Burrell concluded.

In their failed 2010 World Cup campaign, group mates Jamaica and Canada, were both eliminated at the semifinal stage of the CONCACAF play-offs.

In their first leg of those qualifiers in Canada in August, 2008, both countries ended 1-1.

On the return in Kingston and desperate for goals to advance to the Finals, the Boyz defeated the Canadians 3-0, but came up short as Mexico progressed instead.

But in their lasting meeting at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA last August, the Canadians were 1-0 winners as the Boyz were eliminated at the group stage.

The Boyz’s last international was a friendly against World Cup hosts South Africa in Bloemfontein on November 17.

That game ended 0-0.

A proposed return match-up between the two countries scheduled for March next year, has been postponed to a later date.

Meanwhile, Jamaica slipped seven places in the latest FIFA rankings to 81st, 25 places below Canada.

Canada are CONCACAF’s fifth-ranked team, while Jamaica remain the Caribbean’s number one team and eighth in CONCACAF.