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“A team with a dream from a tropical, Caribbean setting,” is how renowned British actor Joss Ackland described Haiti in Heading for Glory, the official film of the 1974 FIFA World Cup™. The Haitians were only the second side from the sun-splashed West Indies to ever reach a world finals – after Cuba’s trip to the quarter-finals way back in 1938 – and they inspired warm feelings and support from German locals, who could not help but shout for the debutant underdogs from half a world away. Despite all that, and the impressive efforts of the late Emmanuel ‘Manno’ Sanon in attack, the islanders headed for home at the first hurdle.
FIFA World Cup appearances for teams from the Caribbean have been few and far between; only Cuba reached the knockout rounds. Jamaica arrived in France in 1998 boasting a wildly colourful kit, dreadlocks and earned an outpouring of compassion from local fans entranced by the island’s exported cultural trappings - Bob Marley, Reggae, Rastafarianism. Eight years after that, Trinidad and Tobago took their bow on the world stage, in Germany again, and their 0-0 draw with Sweden in Dortmund was as good as a win, deemed a national holiday back home and cause for Carnival-come-early.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Leading trio chart a course</span>
In the opening salvos of qualifying for Brazil 2014, Haiti, T&T and Jamaica – the kingfishers of the 24 Caribbean nations that make up the vast majority of CONCACAF’s 35 national teams – hold out the best hopes of reaching the later stages.
“We’re not far off from the successes we achieved in 1998,” said Jamaica coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, a midfield legend from the heady days of ‘98. “We just need to keep moving in the right direction and find the right balance.” Whitmore has assembled a hard-working, fast-moving team, led by standout USA-based winger Dane Richards, whose confidence knows no bounds: “This team can do really big things,” he said.
Due to their high ranking, reigning Caribbean champions Jamaica are not one of the 15 island teams currently engaged in the first group stage. The Reggae Boyz, along with Cuba, will enter the fray at the next stage along with the region’s bright lights like Mexico, USA and Costa Rica.
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