BASED on the rigid and cumbersome schedule, the Reggae Boyz may have little room to manoeuvre in their preparations for the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying play-offs.

General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Raymond Grant, said the organisation is aware of the challenges ahead, but noted that they are largely beyond anyone’s control.

“The challenge over the next six to eight months of the preparation is one that the technical committee is reviewing based on FIFA regulation there are set dates when the players can be released and there are not many FIFA dates in between games because many of the games are being played like Tuesday and Friday based on the demands of the clubs,” said Grant in a Jamaica Observer exclusive interview.

He noted that with little room available for friendly internationals on the FIFA calendar on which many of the Brazil 2014 qualifying games will be played, the JFF has set its sights on hosting camps on local soil as one alternative.

“Any of the camps that will be managed by the JFF for the World Cup qualifiers will be local ones… the international players will more likely join these camps providing that the period is in line with the FIFA regulation…

“It is how much we can work between the FIFA regulation times and the kind of relationship we have with the clubs so the players are available to us on demand,” Grant explained.

The Boyz’s poor showing at the recent CFU Championship, where they were eliminated at the preliminary stage, resulted in them squandering a great opportunity for crucial practice in their failure to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA next summer.

Still, Grant believes a foundation exists to facilitate the preparation of the team going into the decisive phase of the ‘Mission to Rio’ campaign.

“I don’t think solid is the word, but it’s an improved platform which needs further tweaking, and until we finalise on those discussions, I can’t say much more at this time,” Grant ended.

In a tight home-and-away fixture, Jamaica open their Hexagonal round of the Brazil 2014 play-offs againt Mexico on February 6 next year at high-altitude Mexico City.

Jamaica, like all other teams, will play a total of 10 matches, to be concluded in October 2013, by which time the three automatic qualifiers from CONCACAF would have been decided. An additional qualifier will be known following the fourth-place finisher and the champions of the confederation of Oceana.

Jamaica will have matches in February, March, three in June (over the course of eight days), September and October.