A triumph for all Jamaica at home and abroad
The extraordinary strength of Jamaican women was again on display with riveting effect at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday.
It wasn’t just that Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz held stylish, highly favoured Brazil to a 0-0 draw, in the process advancing to the round of 16 — previously considered next to impossible by some — and stunningly sending home the South Americans at the group stage. More to the point was the way the 43rd-ranked Reggae Girlz executed against their eighth-ranked opponents.
Here we saw Jamaican players — knowing they needed a draw, one point — resolutely sticking to the pre-game plan, supporting each other to the hilt, leaving their opponents with very little time and space to threaten their goal, putting their bodies on the line, just as they did against fifth-ranked France 11 days earlier.
Tied to that approach, the Jamaicans counter-attacked Brazil with deadly intent, whenever opportunity presented itself.
As suggested, this Jamaican display was in many respects a carbon copy of that historic scoreless draw with France which provided our women with their first-ever point at the World Cup. That’s after losing all three group games in their first-ever World Cup finals tournament, in 2019.
Readers will recall that the Reggae Girlz changed tack against lower-ranked, fellow Concacaf team Panama in their second game, showing much more attacking intent while maintaining iron discipline in defence to gain a 1-0 victory and precious three points.
In all three games our Reggae Girlz showed a consistency and fixity of purpose staggeringly impressive, to put it mildly.
They conceded zero goals in three games over more than 270 minutes of football, a huge achievement by itself.
That’s against the back drop of 2019 when they — including half of this squad — gave up 12 goals and scored just once. Not just the players, but their coaches and other support staff are fully deserving of high praise.
This ‘Emancipendence’ gift is an achievement of titanic, earth-shaking proportions. Strength of women manifested without doubt.
Who now would dare bet against them advancing even further?
It’s been suggested that, outside of track and field, the Reggae Girlz have now surpassed all other sporting deeds by Jamaicans.
That’s a reasonable claim, even while we recognize the great boxer, Mr Michael McCallum, who captured world titles in three weight divisions in the 1980s and 90s; and legendary cricketer, Mr George Headley, who dominated bowlers in the 1930s at a time when many of those watching considered black people less than human.
A challenge now is for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and fraternity to ensure that the legacy of the national women team’s success translates locally to easier and much greater participation for our women and girls at all levels, be it school, club, or community.
Further, this tightly knit Jamaican squad, a family, has grown out of a mix of individuals born and grown not just in Jamaica, but also in Britain and North America. Many are the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of people who migrated from these shores decades ago. Yet pride in their heritage burns bright in heart and soul.
More evidence, if any was needed, of the Diaspora’s crucial role in Jamaica’s national life.