Steve McLaren has resigned as Jamaica’s manager after failing to qualify for the World Cup, but a rival manager claims the former England manager was in tears.
Former England manager Steve McLaren has resigned as Jamaica’s manager after they failed to qualify for the World Cup, but claims his rival’s manager was left in tears.
The former Three Lions manager famously lost his job after failing to qualify for Euro 2008, once again failing to qualify for a major tournament. Jamaica lost to Curacao for a spot in next summer’s North American World Cup.
McLaren announced his future, saying, “Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is recognize when we need a fresh voice, new energy, a different perspective to move this team forward.”
The 64-year-old missed out on Jamaica’s 0-0 draw against tiny country Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. Assistant manager Dean Gore, who replaced Dick Advocaat, claimed McLaren was in tears after the failure. “Steve was crying. It affected him a lot,” he said.
Curaçao topped Group B as the only undefeated nation in the qualifying stage with 12 points, one more than Jamaica. They will be joined by CONCACAF’s Panama and Haiti, who also secured spots through the scoreless draw.
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According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Curacao, the country’s population as of January last year was 156,115. When Iceland qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it had a population of just over 350,000, making it the smallest country to ever participate in the tournament.
Despite Advocaat not being on the bench, Curacao made history. The 78-year-old missed the match as he had to return to the Netherlands last weekend for family reasons. Prior to his appointment with Curaçao, he was the manager of the Netherlands national team and also coached South Korea, Belgium and Russia.
Jamaica had Brentford’s Rico Henry and former Everton star Mason Holgate in their starting XI, but they were still unable to get the win they needed to qualify for the World Cup. McLaren claimed at the start of the match that it was “Jamaica’s biggest match for many years”.
McLaren had hoped to bring positive vibes after the Caribbean country was hit by a devastating hurricane, but it ultimately fell short. He said: “We will try to at least bring positivity and smiles to the faces of people in the midst of adversity…because there is nothing like a Jamaican smile, I can guarantee you that.”
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