Technical Duirector of Jamaica's national team, Rene Simoes gets close attention from a section of the Honduran Media which assembled at the Viera Morales International Airport on the team's arrival for Wednesday crucial World Cup qualifying game on Sunday.

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – The Reggae Boyz received a far better reception on arrival at the Ramon Viera Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula on Sunday than they did on arrival at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City on Friday.

In San Pedro Sula, the Media which was in much smaller numbers of about 25 while eager to interview and get photos of the traveling party was much more respectful.

On Friday last the Mexican press, as the party cleared customs, descended upon them like vultures fighting for scarce food. They knocked players and staff members over to get at Technical Director Rene Simoes and later Jamaica Football Federation President captain Horace Burrell. They pushed and shoved for about 10 minutes as they tried to corner Simoes and Captain Burrell as they goaded and peppered them with questions.

Among the questions they asked were: Are you scared? Why don’t you speak are you afraid of Mr Ericksson? What, you don’t like the Mexican press and what they did in Jamaica?

“First what this really does is to solidify what I think about the Jamaican press. People say the Jamaican press is terrible but look what happened here today,” Simoes said about the reception the team got at the Benito Juarez International Airport.

“This would never happen in Jamaica. They (Mexican journalists) think they are the kings of the world.

“They think we have to do what they want us to do. They do not do this with the Brazilian team, they do not do this with the Argentinean team but because we are Jamaica they think they can do as they like but we have to stand up to them,” he added.

The touring party was however unaffected as they had been prepared.

“What they try to do is to make us lose our temper. Mr Reid was almost got trampled on, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts got hit on the ankle. They tried to back us into a corner. They forced us to the left we moved. They forced us to the right but I am not intimidated by that. I am used to the mind games. I am 55 that has no effect on me,” said Simoes who pursed his lips throughout the ordeal.

For Jamaica Football Federation President Captain Horace Burrell who has always ensured that visitors under his charge are treated properly, the Mexican reception was particularly disappointing.

“I was disappointed with the lack of security provided by the Mexican Federation and the lack of protocol at the airport on our arrival.

As Jamaicans we are known worldwide for our hospitality and to have experienced that was truly disappointing. We were not surprised because that is the kind of gamesmanship that we expected,” Burrell said of the ordeal.

“The Mexican Federation apologized at the conditioning meeting for the lack of proper security on our arrival and lack of protocol. We have accepted the apology and moved on,” he added.

For General Secretary Horace Reid who was knocked over by the close to 100 media men and women and almost trampled on, that was his worst experience in over 30 of football.

“I have not experienced anything like this in over 30 years of football, being knocked over by the press,” a disgusted Reid said.

The only thing which could be classified as gamesmanship on the part of the Hondurans was the fact that the chartered luxury bus scheduled to transport the players and technical staff to the Hilton Princess Hotel, turned up without a “working air conditioning unit” on the very humid afternoon. The players and staff quickly took up residence in a smaller coaster bus.