DOING THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME

There are usually two ways to do things – the right way and the wrong way.

During the recent Digicel Caribbean Cup the Reggae Boyz did the right thing in standing up for their rights and money as long-suffering players but they chose the wrong place to do so.

Many local based players who have represented their country live in very difficult conditions. Off what amounts to a stipend from their clubs these players have to live, take care of their families, and prepare their bodies nutritionally and otherwise so that they will be able to compete effectively each weekend.

All that while quietly hoping that somewhere along the way they might be rewarded with a professional contract to Europe or the USA. It’s a tough life.

At the same time they have to perform at their best when called upon to represent their country and as such should be rewarded accordingly. After all, national pride alone cant pay the bills. It’s a very frustrating experience when you uphold your end of the bargain and nobody else is. It can lead to irrational behaviour.

That to me is what we saw in Martinique recently when the team threatened not to continue playing in the Digicel Caribbean Cup until the Jamaica Football Federation yielded to their demands.

They eventually got what they wanted and I am sure they are happy and deservedly so. But, I am saying that there could have been a different way to handle the situation.

Long before they went to Martinique to successfully defend their title, the players could have convened a meeting with the JFF executive and laid out their demands.

I suspect that the fear there was that the JFF could have simply disbanded the selected players and replaced them with others. But if the players had played their cards right, they could have secured the backing of all the players available for selection by explaining to them what these action was all about. I am sure the non-selected players would have stood by them.

Over the years we have seen athletes hold this country to ransom over issues that could have been resolved by dialogue.
Discussion and debate have become something of a lost art in this country and this manifests in the form of roadblocks and embarrassing protest action like we saw in Martinique.

What players have to remember is that for people looking on the action by the players did not reflect well on them. Many would have been aware that the JFF is broke, so the protest made the players look greedy. It also made the players seem unprofessional.

I am certain both assumptions would be untrue because we know that these players, many of them, have given yeoman service to this country so their demands are not unreasonable. But fact and perception are two different things and oftentimes perception takes precedence, especially for those observers who are ignorant of the true situation.

Of course the JFF has to absorb some of the blame because it is they who have continually broken promises to the players creating an environment of distrust.
That distrust is what triggered the protest because the players most likely felt that this was the only way to get what they wanted.
But they forgot to factor in one very important thing; how all this affects the country they represent.

It has become to the norm to think self first and country next, a trend that has to be reversed soon. International scouts, in addition to looking for physical skills, also look at other characteristics displayed by players. Characteristics like trust, intellect, teamwork, and selflessness. I think the lot who did the country proud would have recognized these truths and subsequently apologized for their actions – something that they should be highly praised for. It takes real men to admit that under the circumstances they were wrong even if they were doing it for the right reasons.

Let’s hope that both sides would have learned valuable lessons from this experience.