Right Move

Although Rudolph Speid appeared to be the front-runner to become the permanent head coach of the Reggae Boyz, the interim boss says he supports the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) decision to extend its search for a full-time appointment.

“I think it’s the right thing that they’re doing to search for a coach,” Speid said.

Last Thursday, the JFF officially invited applications for the national senior men’s team head coach after the role had been vacant for the past seven months. Among the key requirements, the local governing body says it will prioritise candidates with a Concacaf A licence or its equivalent, elite-level experience at club or international level and “ability to manage high-pressure environments”.

Cavalier Head Coach Speid has served as interim boss since last November following the departure of Englishman Steve McClaren, who resigned last November after a 0-0 with Curacao at the National Stadium, which meant Jamaica failed to automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup starting this week in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Speid led the Reggae Boyz in their final qualification push at the Interconfederation Playoffs last March but fell short after losing to DR Congo in the final, which extended the country’s 28-year World Cup drought.

Reggae Boyz in training at Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, as they prepare for their World Cup qualifier game against Curacao on Friday, October 10, 2025 (Naphtali Junior)

With his contract expiring on April 1, Speid looked set to continue long-term after impressing JFF President Michael Ricketts, who told the Jamaica Observer that he along with Miguel Coley, who served as assistant, would be ideal for the programme going forward.

However, a decision, which was set to be made before the end of April, was stalled with the Observer learning that the JFF board was unable to unanimously agree on Speid’s permanent appointment. The technical committee then recommended the search be extended into the summer and for Speid to continue his interim role at the recently concluded Unity Cup in London and their international friendly against South Africa last Saturday in Mexico.

Aside from Speid and Coley, the Observer understands England-born former Reggae Boyz Darren Moore and Michael Johnson were among the first applicants as of early May but several international coaches from Europe and North America have since entered the process.

It’s also understood that the JFF wants to name a permanent boss before August, which would give the new head coach sufficient time to prepare for their upcoming Concacaf Nations League A campaign, which starts on September 21.

Despite initially being favourite for the role, Speid says he has no issue with the JFF’s new plan.

“I don’t know if I’ll be the person — if I’m selected I’ll continue. But it’s the right way to go about it, get other people to apply and see if they can get the person that fits what they’re trying to do,” Speid said.

Captain Damion Lowe (top) and his Reggae Boyz teammates celebrate Bailey Cadamarteri’s opening goal in their 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. (Joseph Wellington)

SPEID … if I’m selected I’ll continue. But it’s the right way to go about it (Garfield Robinson)

Speid was speaking in Pachuca where Jamaica held South Africa to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Hidalgo. The match was a warm-up friendly for the South Africans, who kick off their World Cup campaign against hosts Mexico on Thursday.

Winger Dwayne Atkinson scored in second-half stoppage to cancel out Oswin Appolis’s first half strike.

Though his future is still up in the air, Speid believes the experience is good preparation for the senior men’s squad, as it prepares to begin a new phase in the coming months.

“We have the Nations League coming up in September, so this was a good way for us to get some games,” he said. “Clearly we have to rebuild the team after failing to go to the World Cup last March. We have carried a lot of young players, this is probably the youngest national team ever, and we are trying to see what these players are made of.”

The squads for the Unity Cup and the friendly against South Africa had an average age of under 22 and included several local-based players.