Tappa’s fate to be decided in coming days

The executive membership of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is to meet in the coming days to decide the fate of Reggae Boyz head coach Theodore Whitmore.

 JFF President Michael Ricketts confirmed this to Our Today this morning (November 18) while rubbishing claims that, should the Federation decide to replace Whitmore, former English footballer Ricky Hill would be appointed the new head coach.

Reports emerged on Wednesday night that Whitmore would be fired because of poor performances in the Octagonal round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that resulted in the Reggae Boyz earning only seven points from their first eight matches.

Jamaica has one win in those eight games – a 2-0 victory over Honduras on October 13.

Our Today sources stated that the seven-member Technical Committee of the JFF voted 5-2 Wednesday night in favour of recommending the sacking of the beleaguered head coach.

Ricketts said this morning, however, that the JFF executive will meet sometime early next week to review the report from the Technical Committee before making a final decision.

“We want it to be a transparent exercise,” Ricketts said, while pointing out that the executive does not have to accept the recommendation of the technical committee.

Meanwhile, sources indicate that it is likely Whitmore will be fired with assistant coach Paul Hall his likely replacement. Hall is currently still contracted to Queens Park Rangers in the United Kingdom.

As it relates to the 62-year-old Hill, well-placed sources said the JFF and the former Tampa Bay Rowdies coach had been in discussions to assist with Jamaica’s youth programme but that was the extent to which those conversations went.

Hill once played for Luton Town and Leicester City in the United Kingdom.

Whitmore was appointed head coach of the Reggae Boyz in May 2018 on a four-year contract after acting as interim coach since September 2016.