Football stakeholders want Menzies back at JFF
Kingston and St Andrew Football Association First-Vice President Carvel Stewart says the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) should move swiftly to reappoint former senior women’s national team Head Coach Hue Menzies back into the national programmes.
Stewart made his comments after the JFF’s General Secretary Dennis Chung told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday that they are now considering the possibility of bringing back Menzies to the national setup for a key role.
“I think that will be a tremendous move by the JFF,” he said. “I think that it will only bring tremendous value to it [national programme] because they cannot do anything better.
“He should not have been removed in the first instance, but then you had a general secretary who didn’t know the quality of value. He is one of the best that we could find now to look forward to the continued growth and development of women’s football and that is where my head is now.”
Menzies, who was born in England, is no stranger to the national women’s programmes, having led the Reggae Girlz to their first Fifa Women’s World Cup tournament in France in 2019.
However, he stepped down from the post shortly after that achievement due to what he said was a lack of professionalism as well as perceived disrespect shown by the JFF.
Menzies, who holds a masters in business, is executive director of the Florida-based football organisation Florida Kraze Krush.
Stewart says that Menzies, who has over 30 years of coaching experience, is the right man to lead the country women’s programme going forward.
“He can lead the continued growth and development because we can’t just look at it as just qualifying for two World Cups, we have to look beyond,” Stewart said. “We are not solid, but we have a lot of talented athletes in Jamaica, male and female, so we need somebody like Hue Menzies to search them out and move their development forward.”
Former National Coach Charles Edwards agrees with Stewart, saying once the JFF and Menzies have resolved their differences, then he should return to the national programme.
“We have to take into consideration that he took the team to the World Cup four years ago, so bringing him back can’t be all that bad of a move,” Edwards said.
“As to whether the JFF and Hue Menzies have rectified the previous issues between them is another story because we knew of the fact that he left the post because of some outstanding payments and other things. So have they rectified it? That is the big question.”
Menzies has said that he has been approached by the JFF and that he is willing to assist in some capacity to help drive the women’s football programme forward.