de Oliveira CLOVIS de Oliveira, viewed as the hot favourite to take over from his Brazilian compatriot Sebastiao Lazaroni who resigned from Jamaica's football programme earlier this week, was yesterday installed as new technical director.
On Sunday Lazaroni, who replaced another Brazilian, Rene Simoes, in April, threw in the towel after less than three months in the job citing "the lack of commitment to the programme of a number of senior players".
"Yes we have secured the service of a new technical director. He is Clovis de Oliveira and he will be on a two-year contract and is due to arrive in Jamaica on June 27," said Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Captain Horace Burrell.
When de Oliveira takes up the offer he will be beginning his second tour of duty in Jamaica. He had a brief association with the programme last year travelling with the Under-23s to Germany, at the Pan Am Games in Canada as well as overseeing the Under-17 and the youth World Cup in New Zealand.
Shortly after returning from New Zealand de Oliveira was forced to return home before Christmas, the victim of a staff cut at the JFF.
Burrell said Jamaica should express gratitude to former technical director Simoes for his assistance in securing the services of de Oliveira. "de Oliveira was employed as assistant to Simoes at Santa Cruz and I think Jamaica has to express gratitude to Simoes who spoke with the management of the club on our behalf and actually got him released from his current contract to join the Jamaican squad.
"He had signed last week with Simoes and will be released tomorrow (today)," added Burrell.
The new technical director, Burrell said, expressed no misgivings about being overlooked in April while a search was launched to replace Simoes. He also said he had no reservations about taking on the job three weeks before Jamaica's first World Cup qualifying game and three days before his first game with the team.
"What he said is that he is expecting to get the full support of not only the staff but the full support of the government and people and he believes that once he gets the support from the people, the private sector and the government that was accorded to Rene Simoes, he sees no difficulty in getting on with the job and doing it with to the best of his ability.
Burrell, who declined to comment on de Oliveira's salary, said the staff and players were very receptive to the idea of having him as coach.
They will meet with him at 7:00 p.m. today at the Sao Paulo Airport before departing for Jamaica two and half hours later.
In other football news, the Reggae Boyz ended their tour of Brazil with a 3-2 victory over Brazilian Second Division team Etti. Winston Griifiths scored twice while Sheldon Barnes secured the victory in the dying seconds.
-Nodley Wright
