Barrett: Consistent brand of football will push Ja higher in FIFA rankings

JAMAICA’S Reggae Boyz have moved up two places in the latest FIFA rankings to 53 and former captain Warren Barrett said that playing a consistent good brand of football will allow the country to climb even higher in the rankings.

The Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached Boyz have only lost one of their last seven games and are fresh off back-to-back victories in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers following wins over the Dominican Republic and Dominica.

“The rankings are performance-based and about consistency. From you’re doing that, winning games and beating teams above you, then you’ll get points. If we continue to do well, especially in the Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers then we can climb even higher in the rankings,” he stated.

To date, the Reggae Boyz’s highest ranking is 27th, which the team achieved back in August of 1998. According to Barrett, the main priority of the team should be focused on getting back to that level as he believes this current crop of players gives the country its best chance (of World Cup qualification) since the 1998 campaign.

“If you ask what would I would prefer, Jamaica being ranked number one in the world or to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, I would definitely choose the World Cup. I don’t really pay much attention to the rankings as the more important thing is to get back to the World Cup which I think this is best opportunity we’ve had since 1998,” the former captain stated.

Barrett added that other teams in Concacaf are in search of the best available talent to strengthen their squad therefore Jamaica shouldn’t rest on their laurels thinking World Cup qualification will be a stroll in the park.

“In the recent FIFA window, I watched closely the likes of Suriname, Haiti and Puerto Rico. A lot of these teams are scouting the world to get players to strengthen their teams, so we can’t be fooled. Therefore, we can’t sit back and expect that we should walk through this qualifying campaign as all teams in the running want to be at the World Cup,” he added.

The Reggae Boyz will kick off their Copa America campaign later tonight against Group B opponents Mexico. Ahead of the clash Barrett stated that opening games in tournaments of this nature tend to be tricky.

“It’s a tough group and we know what the Mexicans will have to offer. Opening games in tournaments are normally tricky and I expect nothing less. We know them to be a high pressing team so it’s important for us to be composed in possession,” Barrett shared.

orane.Buchanan@gleanerjm.com