( l - r ) Burrell, Rose
As family members, friends and teammates of the late Tivoli Gardens defender, Oraine Simpson, struggle to come to grips with his tragic death on Tuesday night, there remains a thick cloud of misery and despair.
The 26-year-old Simpson, who last represented Jamaica's national senior team in a friendly encounter against St Kitts and Nevis in August, was stabbed several times during a dispute with a man from the community, with whom he allegedly had an ongoing feud. He succumbed to his wounds after being rushed to the nearby Kingston Public Hospital sometime after 8 p.m.
President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, was saddened by Simpson's passing and remembered him a consummate professional.
Burrell said: "To lose a loved one is really a heart-wrenching feeling but to lose one in the prime of life is even more heart-wrenching and I feel especially for his children, his parents and his siblings.
"Throughout his association with the national team, Oraine displayed the qualities that one would want in a national representative. He was well-mannered, committed, willing, represented the country with pride and was always a team player," Burrell added.
Long-time friend and teammate on the Tivoli Gardens national premier league champion team, Steve Green who, like Simpson, also played for Tivoli Gardens High in the Corporate Area Manning Cup schoolboy football competition, admitted it is has been hard to accept.
A clearly bereaved Green managed to "It's messed up, all now me shocked, can't believe that just yesterday (Tuesday) I was by the doctor and me and him did a reason and a talk, 'bout the upcoming game and me a tell him say me want him to get ready because he is an asset to the team and he had an injured shoulder.
"Right now it come in like him not even gone, is like me still a talk to him because me and the man just did a reason and him just go dead so in the night. Me not even go up to him yard yet to go talk to his mother (Pauline) and thing," Green added.
Tivoli's team manager, Brian Rose, was also shaken up by the incident and could barely find words to express his feelings.
"I find it really hard to accept this, it has really shaken me up. I have known Oraine (Simpson) for the past 11 years, since his days as part of the Tivoli High Manning Cup team. Oraine is a very committed and dedicated player, a player that plays with his heart and he always stands up for what he believes in," Rose shared.
Distraught mother
Speaking about the mood in the Tivoli Gardens football camp, Rose said: "It's very sad and touching, we are not even thinking about training. This afternoon (yesterday) we'll be having a counselling session with the players and we will be asking that our game be postponed on Sunday because this has really shaken up the players. I spoke to his mother this morning and she was very distraught and based on her reaction I couldn't even talk to her for very long, she is really not taking this too well," Rose shared.
Simpson's championship qualities came to the fore during the 1999-2000 Manning Cup season, when he led the Tivoli Gardens High backline with stellar performances throughout the season and stepped up to score the deciding penalty that gave the west Kingston school victory in the final.
Dave Clarke, who coached Simpson during those years, said: "When I heard last night I was sort of 'blackout'. He was a quiet youth but he never backed away from a fight. He had a strong personality on and off the field and it's really sad to see him go like that."
Simpson