The 2002 World Cup is here and there will be no “Reggae Boyz” to represent Jamaica. Fans all over the world loved the team and I am sure they will be missed. When the team qualified in the last world cup they did more than just make Caribbean History. It was more than being the darling of the football world in France. They brought a nation together like never before. Not since Jamaica gained independence from the British August 6, 1962 was the nation more united for a cause.

Jamaicans from all aspects of life supported the team. There was no PNP, JLP or political party divisions. There was no uptown versus downtown. No Rema or Tivoli. There were no upper class or lower class. There were no Jamaican ‘farriners’ (those who live abroad) or Jamaican a yard. There was a nation untied like never before to support our team. Many said not since Jamaica’s independence was the nation every so united.

With general election whispers in the air, Jamaica needed a distraction to deflect the political violence that usually occur during this time. During the week the team played crime always dropped. Yes it may sound selfish and the world cup would not have lasted forever but we need the team there. We know the team tried but we also need peace during the time leading up to election. We needed hope instead of despair. We needed unity instead of division. We need something to unify Jamaica….

Special thanks to The Reggae Boyz site for usage of the photo for this article.