Adrian Frater, News Editor

Bucknor

Western Bureau:

RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL cricket umpire and former FIFA referee Steve Bucknor has blasted the Brazilian model being used in the national football programme, claiming it is inhibiting players' natural flair and undermining the development of the local game.

"We cannot play Brazilian football because it is something inborn with them, not with us," said Bucknor, who was speaking at a Gleaner Editors' Forum in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday.

"When you go on the Copacabana beach in Brazil, everybody can do everything with the football. You can't teach that in Jamaica, our culture and local experience is different," he said.

Utilise natural assets

According to Bucknor, instead of trying to adopt the almost romantic style of Brazilian football, Jamaica should be utilising its natural assets, such as speed, which are evident in the fact that the nation has the two fastest men in the world - Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.

"We are natural athletes and that is why we are able to produce the two fastest men in the world right here in Jamaica," said Bucknor. "Our netballers are ranked number three in the world and at one time we had the best batsman and the best fast bowler in the world … . We are naturally better athletes than the Brazilians," he said.

Bicknor said the national football programme would be better served by sending local coaches abroad instead of the current policy of a Brazilian coaching outfit.

Bucknor said it would be better to send Jamaica's local coaches to various countries with a view of having them learn different styles, which could then be blended with the local way of playing to have something that is essentially Jamaican.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com