Jamaicans filled the National Stadium recently to cheer on the Reggae Boyz in the quest to make it to the World Cup of 2018, to be held in Russia. Jamaica is attempting to replicate the accomplishment of 1998 when the country qualified for the World Cup held in France. The Caribbean nation failed to qualify in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Even though the national team qualified in 1998, there has always been a fierce debate as to what extent the team selected should comprise players developed in Jamaica or players of Jamaican heritage recruited from the United Kingdom.

In the 1998 team, the Brazilian coach, Rene Simoes, and the Jamaica Football Federation incorporated into the Jamaica team three English professionals of Jamaican heritage — Paul Hall, Deon Burton and Fitzroy Simpson — who played an important role in getting through the first round of the round-robin and the hexagonal to make it to France. On the way to France the English players of Jamaican heritage like Robbie Earle, Frank Sinclair, et al, were brought into the squad.

The globalisation of soccer has meant that the cream of Jamaican footballers are either playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States or in European leagues. Since the signing of Ricardo “Wily Bo” Fuller and Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner in the late 1990s, no home-grown talent has been selected to play in the English Premier League.

The team that Jamaica fielded to play against Costa Rica on Friday, March 25 and the second leg in Costa Rica, March 29, 2016 was heavily laden with Jamaican heritage professionals playing in England. The team’s captain, Wes Morgan of Leicester City is also the captain of that Premier League which is slated to win the Premier League for this year. Morgan, a central defender, was paired with Adrian Mariappa, who plays for Crystal Palace, as well as Jobi McAnuff, Lee Williamson, Clayton Donaldson and Michael Hector who featured as starters. Thus six of the starters practise their wares in England and five are home- grown players — Andre Blake, the goalkeeper, Alvas Powell and Kemar Lawrence, full backs, Demar Phillips, a winger and Je-Vaughn Watson, a mid-field player, filled out the starting 11. Although this balance is still a contentious debate in Jamaica, the indigenous players and those living in England are far from divided, but rather have bonded together. That might not have been the case in 1998, but that division among the players has evaporated.

Costa Rica not only brought their formidable national team but a host of fans to cheer on the “Ticos”. Jamaicans have strong ties to Costa Rica, as Jamaican workers were recruited to work in the building of the railroad from coast to coast and to work in the banana industry. Most settled on the Atlantic coast which is known as “Little Jamaica”. Costa Ricans can trace their roots two and three generations back to their Jamaican heritage. Joel Campbell, the Arsenal winger and one of the outstanding players on the Costa Rican team is of Jamaican heritage and his father was among the throng of spectators who accompanied the team. Before and after the match on Friday, March 25 they took the opportunity to travel on excursions to Dunn’s River Falls, to Hellshire Beach and other scenes throughout Jamaica.

On the March 25 match-up, Jamaica dominated the first 45 minutes and was one goal up — scored by Je-Vaughn Watson. But in the second half, the Costa Ricans found their footing and equalised. A draw at home was not what Jamaica needed to make it to the next round.

In Costa Rica, they took advantage of playing at home. At the end of 90 minutes, they had trounced Jamaica 3-0. There are two games left to be played in this first round-robin. Jamaica’s chance of going forward is at this stage exceedingly precarious. Costa Rica lead the group with 10 points, Panama are second with seven points and Jamaica third with four points. Haiti find themselves in last place in the group. On September 2 and 6, 2016, Jamaica will play away to Haiti and Panama. They would have to win both matches and hope that Costa Rica beat Panama, which would put Jamaica on 10 points, and Panama would be held on seven. That is not a likely scenario but that is the only path to victory for the Jamaica team to keep alive the possibility of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Jamaica Football Federation has to look to the future. The reliance on England-based players is an underdeveloped strategy. Most of the England-based players opt to represent Jamaica at the pre-sunset of their football careers when there is no hope of making the England team.

Football is a young man’s game and players in their 30s are considered over the hill. If Jamaica is going to compete in international football, the country needs to establish a couple of academies that can spot and develop talent at an early age. Those players like Leon Bailey would be sent abroad at an early age to sharpen their soccer prowess and to subsequently play in the top leagues of the world. Such a strategy must be undertaken by the Jamaica Football Federation. Such a strategy is too late for the 2018 World Cup, perhaps even for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But the JFF must begin to plant the seeds from now if it hopes to replicate the feat of 1998. Funds are scarce but between FIFA (Federation of International Associations Football) and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Associations Football) should be able to provide the necessary resources to get this developmental project underway.

Professor Basil “Bagga” Wilson is a former Kingston College Manning Cup football player of the 1960s. He is also Provost Emeritus of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, USA, and Executive Director of the King Research Institute at Munroe College, also in New York.