Paul Hall mum on resignation, to be on sidelines for Suriname return-leg
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Despite declaring that he will be on the sideline for Tuesday’s return leg Group A Concacaf Nations League game against Suriname, interim Reggae Boyz Head coach Paul Hall is still yet to address the issue of his resignation, as the possibility exists that the encounter will be his last.
Hall was reported to have told the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) top brass that he would be resigning with immediate effect shortly after the Boyz 1-1 stalemate against their Dutch-speaking counterparts in Paramaribo on Saturday.
This while players called for the resignation of General Secretary Dalton Wint in a leaked voice note in which JFF President Michael Ricketts seemingly supported the calls.
READ: More JFF turmoil
Still, the English-based Hall was reluctant to confirm or deny the reports of his pending departure, which is believed to have resulted from his displeasure over the JFF’s constant mismanagement since he was appointed in early December, 2021, following the sacking of then head coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore.
“I can’t speak about non-football matters,” Hall told journalists during a virtual press conference on Monday.
“All I know is that I will be there on the sidelines tomorrow (Tuesday) giving my all because that’s what we do. It is really important that everybody is behind this team tomorrow, we know how important it is for Jamaica’s football, so yes I will be there tomorrow, 150 per cent,” he declared.
When asked whether or not the players will follow through on their threat to not to take the pitch if Wint doesn’t step aside, Hall said the players were focused solely on what is a must-win fixture.
The Boyz and Suriname are currently on one point each in the three-team standing from where the top two teams will secure spots in the next Concacaf Gold Cup.
Jamaica will face group favourites Mexico at the National Stadium on June 14.
“All I want to do is focus on this game make sure that this game goes ahead, beat Suriname and make sure we are in that Gold Cup draw,” Hall said.
“These players are focused, we all know what we want from this. We want to be the number one team in Concacaf, that’s what we want. All the players want that, even the Boyz that came in, they have come in with so much conversation about beating Suriname and beating Mexico and going forward and really becoming a team to be reckoned with in the future.
“When you hear that, you want to give them confidence and push forward and ensure that we create an environment for the players and staff to flourish,” the tactician added.
Shamar Nicholson, Ravel Morrison, Jamal Lowe and Rolando Aarons are expected to bolster the Reggae Boyz team for Tuesday’s contest at the National Stadium, scheduled to begin at 8:00pm.