National senior men’s team Head Coach Theodore Whitmore has expressed cautious optimism at the positive movement of the Reggae Boyz in the Fifa rankings issued yesterday.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz moved five spots up from 52 to 47, breaking into the top 50 for the first time since 2005.

The country’s best ranking of 32 in the world dates back to 1996, with 1998, when the Reggae Boyz qualified for the World Cup being next at 33.

“This is of course, positive for the team and the country and this is in keeping with the objectives that the players, technical staff and the federation set at the beginning of the Concacaf Nations League Group phase,” Whitmore declared.

“Our wish is for it to continue to get better and I will be lobbying with the federation to ensure that what is necessary to make this happen, is indeed put in place because we do not want to get complacent,” he added.

With the move indicating the current quality of the Reggae Boyz team, Whitmore appealed to the fans to throw their support behind the team when they welcome Aruba to the National Stadium on October 12.

“I appeal to the fans to show their recognition of this positive direction by turning out for our next game. The players need to know that they have the country’s support,” he noted.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts also expressed satisfaction with the development and has encouraged the coach, his staff, and the players to maintain focus, with the immediate goal being to maintain top six ranking in Concacaf over the coming months.

The Reggae Boyz are currently ranked fourth in Concacaf behind Mexico (12), United States of America (21) and Costa Rica (43).