KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC:

JAMAICA'S FOOTBALL boss, Captain Horace Burrell, is saluting Jamaica's significant boost in FIFA's Coca Cola World Rankings last week as a platform of opportunity for local players.

Jamaica jumped 18 places this week up FIFA's list to 65th, having spent several months in 2008 outside the top 100.

Their re-entry to the top 75 in the FIFA ratings puts the country in the frame for its players to acquire work permits to pursue careers in the sport and Burrell says the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is committed to fulfilling this FIFA requirement.

"As far as we are concerned, this is the most important part of the ranking system. We are now within the limit whereby our players can once again become eligible for work permits to the United Kingdom," he said.

Permit restrictions

Because of work permit restrictions for players from countries ranked outside FIFA's top 75, most Caribbean countries have had the prospects of talented players smothered.

"We have to be in the first 75 ranked teams over a two-year period to get that privilege and we are now within the required ranking so to speak to make it possible for players," Burrell said.

Jamaica also reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) ratings after capturing the 2008 Digicel Caribbean Championship at home last Sunday.

They played undefeated in the tournament and got past Grenada 2-0 in the final at the National Stadium.

It is the first time at the top of CFU in 18 months - since June 2007 - for the Jamaicans, who spent several months this year outside the world's top 100, including October when they sat an at all-time low 116th.

Since their historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup Finals in France, the Jamaicans have enjoyed unprecedented levels of facilitating the transition of players into leagues in England and other European countries.

Jamaica attained an all-time high FIFA ranking of 27 in August 1998 and maintained a Top-60 world ranking for nine consecutive years before finishing the 2007 season at 97th in the world.

During the past decade, Jamaica internationals have landed many deals with overseas clubs, most notably Ricardo Gardner and Ricardo Fuller, who are both campaigning in the Premier League for Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City, respectively.

Burrell plans to fight

Burrell pledges to fight to keep Jamaica's rating at a high level to facilitate local players landing meaningful contracts.

"We have so many talented players who are now ineligible for work permits because of where we have found ourselves on the FIFA scale and we will work assiduously to ensure we remain in the range as we continue to develop our football," Burrell added.

In spite of the disappointment of their elimination from World Cup qualifying for the 2010 Finals in South Africa, Burrell says he wants to move Jamaica's football from 'strength to strength'.

He is currently negotia-ting for international friendly matches against world-class opposition.

"It is our mission to continue to play friendly matches against strong teams who are ahead of us in the rankings and to win these games so that we don't slip.

"I am trying for friendlies with teams in Europe and Africa, the first being February 11 and hopefully I will be able to announce details soon," Burrell said.