The will to win was clearly lacking from the Arnett Gardens players. So said Head Coach Jerome Waite, as his team failed dismally to qualify for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions League.

Arnett Gardens, Jamaica’s 2015 premier league champions, lost 0-2 to W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship semi-final, then crashed 0-2 to Haiti’s Don Bosco in the third place play-off.

Three spots were available to the CONCACAF Champions League and Arnett Gardens finished bottom of the four-team tournament.

“The effort was pretty much lacking. The will to win you didn’t see it either, with players basically going through the motion,” Waite told the Jamaica Observer.

He continued: “When we asked what is the problem, most couldn’t even tell you what they were going through. It’s just that they were going through the motion.”

After conceding early against W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago in the second minute, Arnett Gardens stepped up their play and dominated the game, but failed to score and conceded another goal on the counter at the stroke of half-time. They would create more chances but failed to score.

After the game, a couple of the W Connection players made it be known that Arnett were far superior, and even while leading 2-0 they thought they would lose 2-5, saying Arnett were the best in the competition.

But Arnett basically shot themselves in the foot while trailing 0-1 as several players abandoned the game plan and desperately pushed forward for that equalising goal and were left exposed at the back, and conceded a second goal in a very indisciplined display.

The second game, which was the clash between the two losing semi-finalists, Arnett Gardens were now up against it, taking on the hosts Don Bosco, and they turned in an awful display lacking in verve and commitment.

“The second game it was really a disappointment. It was not the best in terms of our performance; we were way below par,” noted Waite.

It was a surprising performance from a team that was guaranteed at least US$50,000, had they won one of the two games and reached the CONCACAF Champions League.

“But the overall trip was not the best, it wasn’t anything like Dominican Republic. The hospitality it was not good. Players refused to eat certain time and we as a team will have to understand that you will always have to go through a learning process,” said Waite.