Almost seven months after he parted ways with the Jamaican national football team, former Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson revealed that his decision stemmed from an unconducive situation within the country’s football programme.

The Icelander, who joined the Reggae Boyz in September 2022 on a four-year contract geared towards the 2026 World Cup, opted to exit early, as he explained that the work environment ultimately deterred him from continuing with the team for another two years.

“I didn’t see myself being able to continue for another two years in this working environment,” Hallgrimsson said in a recent interview with the Irish Sun.

Less than a month after parting ways with Jamaica in June last year, the 57-year-old accepted a role with Ireland’s national team. Comparing his experiences, Hallgrimsson described Ireland’s football setup as a stark contrast to Jamaica’s.

“It [Ireland] is a professional environment, and the setting is top-notch. That’s the biggest reason why I took on this job. Everyone who works around the national team is a professional to the core,” Hallgrimsson explained.

“In Jamaica, I was more in a teaching role. We were trying to change quite a lot, both in the work environment and within the union, and we criticised the way some things were done. Many employees were unhappy in their jobs. I was very clear to the staff around the team that if they were not happy, they always had the choice to quit and find another environment to work in,” he shared.

Despite his efforts to foster change, Hallgrimsson acknowledged that some challenges within the Jamaican football programme were beyond his ability to resolve in a reasonable timeframe.

“I then realised that there were certain things that I could not change or that it would take a very long time to change them. Then I was actually faced with the same choice as the staff who were not happy,” he noted.

Still, Hallgrimsson pointed out that while he served as the Reggae Boyz head coach, he was fully committed to the task at hand, despite offers from other national teams.

“While I was the Jamaica national team coach, I was regularly contacted and asked if I was ready to take on other teams. My answer was always the same. I was fully focused on Jamaica, and I always intended to finish the final competitions that the team had entered, in the Nations League and the Copa America, before I would think about moving,” he shared.

During his tenure, Hallgrimsson led the Reggae Boyz to the semi-finals of both the Gold Cup and the Concacaf Nations League. His record with the team stood at 10 wins, seven draws, and 10 losses over 27 games.

Now at the helm of the Irish national team, Hallgrimsson has recorded two wins and four losses in six matches, adjusting to the demands of a new role in a professional environment he values highly.

“I honestly don’t remember exactly when the Irish first contacted me, but they were very interested. My requirement was always to complete these biggest projects with Jamaica before I went looking around,” he declared.