Good fight! - Schäfer praises Reggae Boyz

Senior national men's football team coach, Winfried sch‰fer, commended the Reggae Boyz for their fight and determination in the crucial 1-0 win over Haiti in their semi-final round World Cup qualifier in that country on Tuesday.

After losing their first match 2-0 to Panama on Friday, the Reggae Boyz needed to win to keep their campaign on track and after squeezing out

1-0 win over their neighbours, sch‰fer praised his players' fight and described the performance as one of the best under his stewardship.

"It was very difficult, but it was clear that we must come back (from defeat to Panama), and the Reggae Boyz fight to the end; they never gave up, and it was one of our best matches in the last six, seven months," he said.

However, Jamaica has not fared well at the National Stadium recently, losing their last four games at the office, and some have cited their lack of friendly internationals at the venue as a major cause, but sch‰fer believes the problem is in their preparation.

preparation

"If you have no good preparation you cannot play (good). If you have a qualification match you have to be professional from the first minute to the end of the match and the last match here in Kingston wasn't very good preparation, the next match at home we (will) change many things," he

stated.

But the German ended the interview abruptly soon after he was asked whether the charity events put on by sponsors Digicel for the players before the game hampered preparation for the match against Panama.

"What you ask me is provocation. What the players did for the poor kids was fantastic, and it was one of my ideas ... , so what you ask me is provocation. Why you ask me this? Ask me questions of football, I don't want fire," he blasted before storming away.