Former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Tony James says the current administration never intended to retain Lorne Donaldson as head of the national senior women’s programme because he had never been their top choice in the first place.

Donaldson’s contract expired on September 30, and the JFF opted not to renew it. Though the outspoken Donaldson and the JFF had long had a strained relationship, the decision still surprised some. The coach has since said that he had been interested in continuing in his role with the team.

“The JFF never had any intention of keeping Lorne [Donaldson] as the national coach because they felt upended by the fact that he was not even in the top two chosen by them,” James told the Jamaica Observer.

James charged that other forces had convinced JFF boss Michael Ricketts to appoint Donaldson. And while the coach enjoyed historic success with the team, those with inside knowledge had felt the JFF would have eventually severed ties due to tension between the two parties.

“The JFF’s presidency is an extremely difficult job, and you have to commend President Michael Ricketts for overriding all his advisors in appointing Lorne [Donaldson] in the first place,” he said.

James said the appointment of Donaldson in 2022 had been “wise” and “practical” because his previous stint as assistant to Head Coach Hue Menzies had made him familiar with and popular among the players.

The former JFF president suggested that Donaldson’s contract renewal was not tied to the results on the field.

“He has overperformed, leading the Girlz to the second round of the recent FIFA World Cup, a feat that no other national team has achieved,” James said.

“And comparison is only with probably René Simoes as being the two most influential coaches, male and female, to ever have taken on their respective Jamaica’s national programmes.

“As such, technical committee member Denzil Wilks has hit the nail on the head, as it is just disrespectful to have dealt with him [Donaldson] the way they had. Without any discussion, it defied not only natural justice, but just a lack of common sense.”

James went on to note that Jamaican-bred coaches are generally given one-year contracts, while overseas coaches are more likely to be given the opportunity to perform within a long-term framework.

He added: “We would have never dealt with a foreign coach in the disgraceful manner in which we have dealt with Lorne Donaldson’s termination. Sometimes it is not what we have to do, but how we say it and approach it.”

James said both sides allowed arrogance to get in the way of doing what was best for the Jamaica women’s football programme. He said the contract renewal issue should have been discussed with key stakeholders at a later period, especially since the Reggae Girlz have crucial qualifying games for the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, starting away to Panama on October 25.

“The JFF women’s programme has to be reset,” he said. “The question is not if it is to be reset; the question is when? With a Gold Cup qualifying being three weeks away, the chance of training and getting to be involved and knowing these girls in the short term is almost impossible. Then you realise that it is the timing that is wrong.

“And I believe that mature discussion puts the girls at the centre of those discussions and not the petty egos involved. If, at the end of that process, the JFF and Lorne mutually had to part [ways]… then timing should have come after the Gold Cup qualification, which would give everybody a chance to review matters and to keep the elevated standard to which it has evolved.”

Donaldson led Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz to the round of 16 of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Their achievement is the only of its kind in the country’s football history. He was also deputy to Menzies for the Reggae Girlz debut at a World Cup, in France 2019.

During the recent World Cup Down Under, the Reggae Girlz earned goalless draws with France and Brazil. A 1-0 victory over Concacaf rivals Panama ensured progression from the group stage, before they were eliminated 0-1 by Colombia in the round of 16.

Last month, the Jamaicans lost 1-4 on aggregate to reigning Olympic champions Canada in a home-and-away tie which erased their dream of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Games.

“I personally think the best game he has [coached in] during his short tenure is the one against the Olympic champions Canada in Canada. This was a transformation from defensive-oriented to attacking football, and Jamaica losing 1-2 is no disgrace,” James said.

“So as a former president, I understand the JFF’s issues, but I believe that if egos had subsided in reasonable consultation among the stakeholders supporting that women’s programme, and if we had put the Girlz at the centre of the decision-making in terms of their need to progress, that is how I would have tried to handle it.”