SINCE the start of the 21st century the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has appointed seven foreign head coaches to lead the Reggae Boyz. However, that trend could now be over as President Michael Ricketts says he will now prioritise local options after what he described as Steve McClaren’s “mismanagement” of the national men’s team.

Exactly a week ago, Jamaica’s dream of competing at this summer’s FIFA World Cup came crashing down after their 0-1 loss to DR Congo of Africa in the intercontinental play-off final at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.

It was the second time in as many months the Reggae Boyz missed the chance to end their near-three-decade drought after failing to automatically qualify during the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying matches last year.

Following the 0-0 draw with World Cup-bound Curacao at the National Stadium last November, McClaren resigned immediately after 16 months in charge, failing to win 12 of his 23 matches. Rudolph Speid was then given the job on an interim basis, with Miguel Coley as his assistant.

As the Jamaica Observer reported in November, McClaren’s reign was left under a cloud due to many issues, including tension with the JFF and the treatment of locally born players.

The English man was the second foreign coach to step away from the national team, after Heimir Hallgrimmsson resigned on June 30, 2024 and subsequently joined the Republic of Ireland’s national team less than two weeks later.

Previously, former Reggae Boyz star Theodore Whitmore led the team from 2016 to 2021 before his former assistant and national teammate, Paul Hall, took over on an interim basis. Carl Brown, Wendel Downswell and John Barnes are the only other Jamaican-born coaches to lead the team in the last 26 years.

Speid’s and Coley’s contracts as interim coaches expired last week, following the completion of the World Cup play-offs.

With the positions currently vacant, Ricketts told the Observer that his eyes are firmly on his current Jamaican options as he regrets trusting McClaren with the team’s future.

“I tried again with overseas coaches and the rest is history. I don’t think the programme was managed very well,” he said. “Now these local coaches are [living] here, they see our local players, they watch games, they keep abreast of what is happening in club football.

“They keep in contact with me, they keep in contact with the directors, so we are always updated on the technical aspect by these local coaches. They are here, so you are bound to have a relationship with them — not quite so when you have overseas coaches who are coming in and going out at their own discretion, which sometimes is not ideal to the situation.”

The Observer reported last November that McClaren’s decision to live in England during his tenure wasn’t well received.

The Observer understands that the JFF’s board of directors will make a decision before the end of April, with the Reggae Boyz set to return to action next month.

Although the choice isn’t solely up to him, Ricketts hopes to see Speid and Coley in charge for the foreseeable future.

“I would certainly want to have Speid and Coley to continue with our programmes,” he said. “We have the [Concacaf] Nations League coming up later this year and, of course, I think next year is the Gold Cup. We have the Unity Cup in England at the end of May — that’s going to be critical — so these are some of the things that we’re looking forward to.

“But if Speid and Coley are interested, then certainly they will be my choice to be a coach and an assistant, at least for the next two years.”

Speid is expected to carry on his duties with defending Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier while Coley is set to return to Iraq with Zakho SC.

Former Reggae Boyz Head Coach Steve McClaren (left) and Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Jamaica’s Head Coach Steve McClaren reacts during the team’s 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago in the Concacaf World Cup qualifier at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain on Thursday, November 13, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Reggae Boyz Assistant Coach Miguel Coley (centre) has a conversation with (from left) Ian Fray, Dwight Merrick, Nickalia Fuller, Tyrese Hall, Kyle Ming, Norman Campbell and Leon Bailey, during training on Sunday, March 29, 2026 at Verde Valle in Guadalajara, Mexico, ahead of their FIFA World Cup play-off final against DR Congo. (Photo: JFF)

Rudolph Speid, Jamaica football interim head coach (Photo: AFP)