Phoenix Academy founder Craig Butler was highly critical of the departing coach Steve McClaren of his philosophy, team selection and tactics.

McClaren joined Jamaica in July 2024 replacing Heimir Hellgrimsson of Iceland has lead Ireland into the European playoffs with crucial wins over Portugal and Hungary.

McClaren, who was appointed manager of the England national team in August 2006 but was dismissed a year later after England failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008, has resigned from Jamaica having failed to lead the Reggae Boyz into the World Cup as one of the automatic qualifiers.

That move Butler believed came too late. “You cannot have a team playing without a system, playing without a culture, with a coach that doesn’t believe in us,” Butler ranted.

“To only give Whisper (Dujuan Richards) only 10 minutes shows that he doesn’t care about winning. He doesn’t feel it like all of us,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a video online, moments after the game finished.

He has been pleading with the Jamaican coaches to pay to our natural genetic strengths for years, and he reiterated that stance after witnessing another pathetic display from the Reggae Boyz, bereft of ideas and verve.

“We really need to start looking at ourselves as a nation. Start to play to what our genetics are, which is speed and creativity,” Butler pointed out

“He gets up, he jumps on a plane and he goes home to his home and he’s happy and he looks for the next job. We have to get up every day and know that we could have made it to another World Cup and we’re not there,” said Butler.