According to Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts, three candidates have been interviewed for the role of head coach of the senior Reggae Girlz. He said the JFF technical committee is to make its recommendation to the board of directors and a decision is to be made by the weekend.

The JFF is looking for the replacement for Lorne Donaldson, whose contract as Reggae Girlz head coach expired on September 30 and was not renewed.

“Three of them [candidates] were interviewed on Tuesday and so we are waiting on the recommendation from the technical committee,” Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

“So that’s what we are waiting on at the moment, and hopefully by weekend we can name the head coach of the team,” he added.

Ricketts confirmed that Xavier Gilbert, Ak Lakhani, and Laura Thomas, who were assistant coaches to Donaldson, will keep their jobs.

Donaldson and his assistants were appointed in 2022. They led the 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.

During the recent World Cup, 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 knockout stage.

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.

In just under two weeks, the 37th-ranked Reggae Girlz will be back in action as they vie for a place at the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup. They are set to face hosts Panama on October 25 before welcoming Guatemala on October 29. Then they are scheduled to battle Panama at home on November 29 and travel to Guatemala for a December 3 return encounter.