Caribbean report card

By Jonathan Feldman

(From the GP Archive) Over the years, football in CONCACAF has become a lesson in disparity with the foregone conclusion that the USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica will qualify for the World Cup. For Caribbean countries like Jamaica the dream is a long shot and it's getting more difficult.

While players with Caribbean heritage have helped European superpowers France, Holland, and England remain competitive, the established footballing world hasn't given much back to the region.

Migration from the Caribbean, which began after World War II and peaked in the Seventies is still fueled by the greener pastures of the USA, Canada, and Europe. Transplants who make it rarely return.

"There's so much money in America. There is this feeling that we have nothing to gain by staying home," said David McWilliams, a former college standout midfielder, now living in Mount Vernon and born in Jamaica. "It's kind of like growing up in a small town and wanting to get the opportunities of a big city. A lot of people say they'll come back but most don't."

Cuba was a quarterfinalist in 1938, while Haiti and Jamaica experienced success at the 1974 and 1998 World Cups respectively. Unfortunately, because of funding issues countries in the Caribbean have occasionally withdrawn from qualification. Today, this lack of funding continues to dog Caribbean football.

The Jamaican Football Federation's annual budget for the senior men's national team is roughly 1/50th of that for Bob Bradley's team USA. Associations like the JFF turn to sponsors for help. Recently, the JFF refused to televise the team's first leg victory over the Bahamas because it desperately needed gate receipts from a sold out stadium.

Digicel, a mobile phone company based in Kingston is the largest provider in the English speaking Caribbean and a major sponsor of football tournaments and events.

Digicel even donates football equipment to schools around the Caribbean.

	The standard of football isn't likely to change until the standard of living improves.

But even the efforts of established local brands like Digicel, Grace, and Red Stripe isn't enough. Of course the government should foot the bill for a national sports federation. Football takes a back seat, though when smaller, poorer countries struggle with corruption and violent crime. So much of Jamaica's tax pittance will be spent to repair crumbling roads and bridges and on an overstretched police force. According to United Nations Human Rights Council, Jamaica's 2007 murder rate ranked as the second highest in the world with 49 murders per 1,000 people.

Crime is rampant among CONCACAF nations. El Salvador is first in murders with 55.3 per 1000. Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago all feature in the top ten.

"It's very difficult for some of these countries. Crime, corruption, poverty. It's just a part of CONCACAF football that Americans don't really see much of," said McWilliams.

"It's like if you're going to go on your honeymoon to Jamaica, you go to Montego Bay, you don't go to Kingston."

The standard of football isn't likely to change until the standard of living improves. Professional football clubs from Europe must lend a hand.

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others can afford to build fields, training facilities and provide the training, and resources necessary to lift spirits.

For European superclubs to play mid-summer friendlies in order to sell uniforms and grow brand recognition under the guise of goodwill smacks of cultural elitism.

The world's richest clubs have made a killing off of talent from the world's poorest regions. Now it's time for them to give back. They can start in the Caribbean.

- The opinions of Jonathan Feldman do not necessarily represent those of GreenPitch Magazine.