Miracle worker who took the Reggae Boyz to World Cup finals
Brazilian coach Rene Simoes performed wonders when he famously guided Jamaica to their first ever World Cup finals at France ‘98, writes Stephen Wright.
Prior to his arrival in 1994 the Reggae Boyz were ranked 96th in Fifa’s rankings, renowned for enthusiasm but lacking the required professionalism to lift them to the next level.
By November 1997 they had climbed to 39th with Simoes adopting a Brazilian system, more attractive to the Jamaican psyche than the direct British style they had played previously.
Under his stewardship they edged out more experienced nations such as Costa Rica, Canada, Honduras and El Salvador to earn a place among the 32 finalists in France.
Impressively, he forged a strong team spirit among players from many backgrounds and with vastly different bank balances, mixing high-profile English-based players such as Wimbledon’s Robbie Earle, Bolton’s Ricardo Gardner and Chelsea’s Frank Sinclair with local talent.
Despite criticism at home about the number of English-based Jamaicans selected in his World Cup party, Simoes stood firm and reaped the rewards at the tournament.
In the first game they lost to Croatia 3-1, and then to Argentina 5-0, before historically beating Japan 2-1 in the final game of the preliminary round. They may not have qualified for the second stage but the Reggae Boyz enjoyed a heroes’ return with Jamaicans the world over rejoicing. It was their first, and to date, only appearance on the world’s biggest stage.
The 54-year-old, from Rio, is a committed Christian and had “Jesus Saves” printed on the back of his official Jamaican shirt.
As a professional coach for more than 20 years he has worked in Portugal and Qatar. He also was involved in coaching Brazil’s under-20 and under-23 teams.
In the 2004 Summer Olympics, he won the silver medal with the Brazil women’s national football team. He has also previously coached Trinidad and Tobago. In 2006 he was the head coach and manager of Iran national under-23 football team, before becoming coach of Coritiba Foot Ball Club in the Brazilian Serie B.
