It’s been a bittersweet few days for Jamaica’s football fraternity.

Late Tuesday came news of the passing of Mr Allan “Skill” Cole, among Jamaica’s most celebrated footballers, at age 74.

Also, on Tuesday evening, a fair-sized crowd at the National Stadium in St Andrew, and a live television audience watched keenly as Jamaica beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in their final-phase World Cup qualifier.

This was a mostly workmanlike performance by the Reggae Boyz — perhaps short of the artistic wizardry associated with Mr Cole’s style of play half a century ago — but they got the job done.

Following their 4-0 victory over Bermuda in Hamilton late last week, Tuesday’s result means the Jamaicans lead their Concacaf qualifying group with six points.

Curacao, 3-2 winners over Bermuda on Tuesday, are second with four points.

The top team in the group will qualify automatically to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada next year. The two top achieving second-placed teams in the three Concacaf groups will get another chance to qualify in competitions involving teams from other confederations.

With four games remaining, the Jamaicans will be aware that what’s needed from now on is to gather more points than the other three teams in their group, by whatever means.

Obviously, they dare not relax as they strive to qualify for a FIFA Men’s World Cup finals tournament for the first time since the one and only such achievement back in 1998.

Fortunately, Jamaica’s Head Coach Mr Steve McClaren, who took charge in 2024, understands that there can be no room for complacency. Hence his comment that, “I certainly learned from the last year that there are no easy games in the Caribbean…”

That battle for FIFA World Cup spots will resume next month.

But for right now, sports fans — and even those only vaguely interested — are turning to the World Athletics Championships which begins late Friday (Saturday Japan time) at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.

At last year’s Olympics in Paris, Jamaica’s field event athletes stole the spotlight, capturing four of Jamaica’s six medals. That’s including a first-ever discus throw for a gold medal by Mr Roje Stona, who has since controversially switched allegiance to Turkey.

But just as is always the case, most Jamaicans will be focused on our sprinters, not least 100m rising star Mr Kishane Thompson, who grabbed a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, missing out on gold by 5,000th of a second, out-leaned by American Mr Noah Lyles. Can Mr Thompson go top of the podium in Tokyo? That’s the question on many a lip.

And what of another Jamaican rising star Mr Oblique Seville who has been in outstanding form in recent months?

All eyes will also be on the living legend Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at her final major games.

Renowned for her indomitable spirit and will to win, can she, even at 38 years old, leave the scene with a medal?

Jamaicans, glued to their television sets, know for sure that if Mrs Fraser-Pryce misses out it won’t be for want of trying.

We wish for all our athletes, all that’s good in Tokyo.