Dear Editor,

Renowned Coach Craig Butler delivered an impassioned address following Jamaica’s recent loss to Curaçao — a speech that struck at the heart of long-standing issues within local football.

Among his most pointed remarks was the argument that prioritising the hiring of foreign coaches may not serve the nation’s long-term interests. As Butler noted, when the overseas coach eventually resigns and returns to Europe, it is Jamaicans who remain to face the disappointment, heartbreak, and rebuilding.

For years Butler has warned of the structural weaknesses embedded in Jamaican football and the urgent need for a coherent, home-grown style of play. His comments echo broader conversations across the education sector in which Jamaica has embraced the “Jamway” approach to civics — an instructional model grounded in constructivism and shaped by the cultural experiences, strengths, and identities of the Jamaican people.

If such culturally rooted models guide how we teach our children, then Butler’s point is clear: The same philosophy should guide how we coach our footballers.

While he readily acknowledges that strategies must be pragmatic at times, he insists that Jamaica must develop a recognisable football identity — one that plays to our inherent strengths. As Butler emphasised, Jamaica’s comparative advantages, especially at home, lie in speed, athleticism, intuitive creativity, and an instinctive flair that cannot be imported.

Developing a national style is not simply a tactical decision, it is a cultural project grounded in who we are and how we move, think, and compete. Jamaica has the talent. What the country now needs is alignment, belief, and a coaching philosophy that reflects Jamaican identity — not merely borrowed systems from abroad.

In the wake of defeat, Butler’s call stands as more than a critique, it is an invitation to build something lasting, rooted in our own strength.

Mikhail A Graham

Lecturer

mikhailgraham@yahoo.com