Like the powerful Hurricane Matthew that grazed Jamaica on its deadly slow march through the Caribbean, Damion ‘Bling Dawg’ Williams kicked up a storm of his own.

The former Jamaica international did not mince words as he expressed displeasure with the way he was kicked to the kurb as a national footballer.

But his onslaught was not always of self-interest as he also tore through the football establishment, knocking it for contributing to many of the perceived ills affecting the sport.

The 35-year-old thinks he never got a “fair chance” to show his full potential, even as he gave hints of what was to come. Williams believes he gave heart and guts each time he donned the national colours, maintaining he still had a lot more to give.

The former Portmore United midfielder, who was in and out of the team between 2003 and 2012, said whenever a senior national squad is called and his name is not on that list, he feels deep hurt cut through his heart.

Even at his maturing years and with faint hopes of ever representing his country again, he still feels the pain.

“As a footballer, when the national team is called and your name is not on the list, you have to be angry as football is my life… when I am not called I am hurt, but I am not going to sit down as life goes on,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer in Trinidad and Tobago recently where he plays professionally with San Juan Jabloteh.

“For Jamaica, I played under many coaches and if I can recall, I don’t think a coach has come to Jamaica and not call me. I think the only one who didn’t call me is (Winfried) Schaefer,” he said.

Williams, who was a regular in Theodore Whitmore’s team on his first stint as national coach, said he loved playing for his country and always put it all on the line for country, a quality he believes is lacking with a lot of players these days.

“I don’t believe I got a fair chance in the team as some players did, and that’s what I wanted. But with my passion and mindset, if there are other players out there like me, then that’s what Jamaica’s team needs because what we want are fighters and warriors,” said the midfield tough man.

“When you give your all and when you are not called for the next squad, when you know you played better than the players that are actually called, you have to look at that as a disappointment,” Williams lamented.

The Trelawny native, capped 28 times as a Reggae Boy, said that should he be summoned to duty for his country, he would be ready to take up arms, no questions asked.

“I am still playing, I am fit and if they should call me I will be ready as I want to see my country do well. To be honest, I really miss the national team as I am passionate about the national colours and I think that is what is lacking in our football these days, as people just want to come and put on jerseys,” Williams said.

But the San Juan Jabloteh captain is adamant that Jamaica’s football is losing its soul with the influx of foreign-born players.

“Don’t tell me that players have to come from England to be in the national team, because when we went to the Gold Cup in 2011, that team was made up mainly of Jamaican-bred players playing in Scandinavia and the MLS, and we played the best brand of football,” he said.

“So it does not matter where you play, it’s about getting the players in the right mindset to go out there and do the country proud.”

The diminutive Williams, who also played professionally in Norway with Nybergsund, took a swipe at the governing Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), claiming its dependency on overseas-born players and its supposed influence on the selection process, have aided in hampering the programme.

“The system is why the national team is failing… this system about you have to play in England is hurting our football. When a coach gets the job, he should be left alone to do his work, and when he is left alone and can’t get the job done, fire him,” he lashed out.

“When we went to the World Cup, it was all about the local players, and we just had a mix of three England players in Deon Burton, Paul Hall and Fitzroy Simpson.

“The JFF needs to look into that system; we have to look into the garrisons [inner city communities] for the ‘ballers, like what we did before and we need to go back to that,” Williams reasoned.

The former Muschett High School student said while he appreciates that Jamaica’s football needs all the help it can get, he is yet to be convinced that a lot of these England-born players have the country’s interest at heart.

“How many of these England-born players know St Elizabeth? Some of them don’t even know downtown. How many of them ever had a bag juice and then go to training? We need to go out in the communities and get the hungry footballers who want something out of football and life,” said Williams, going on the offensive.

“A lot of these foreign-born players just come for vacation. I remember one World Cup qualifying tournament when we were about to be knocked out, and I locked myself in my room and could not believe I was not going to the World Cup, and those players from England were out drinking beer,” he mourned.

Williams, a former Seba United (now named Montego Bay United) man, said more care and due process must be employed in going for foreign-raised players. Above talent, he thinks, these candidates must show heart, passion and commitment.

“When we are going overseas for players we have to make sure that we get players who will play out their heart for the country. I am not bashing anyone, but not because a player comes from overseas he has to play, he has to earn his spot and you have to show that he genuinely wants to play for the country,” Williams concluded.

Editor’s note: Damion Williams, the subject, is not related to the author of this story.