Violence, hunger and a team in exile: Haiti's road to the World Cup
· Yahoo Sports
Haiti coach Sébastien Migné views the the troubled island nation’s great World Cup adventure with a certain degree of optimism.
“Of course, it’s a tough group,” Migné said. “But if you look at it positively, we’ll definitely be in the spotlight, which is a huge reward for the lads.”
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Given Haiti’s recent history, the matches against Scotland on Saturday, record champions Brazil on June 19 and African champions Morocco on June 24 are not only a reward for the national team players but for the entire football-crazy country.
“When we qualified, the country was happy for one or two days. Maybe we can make that happen again,” midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has said.
The France-born player, who plays in England for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his national team coach have one thing in common: neither has ever been to Haiti.
“It’s impossible because it’s too dangerous,” Migné said. He normally lives in the countries where he works but he can't in Haiti because “there are no more international flights landing there.”
No stadium, no home
The national stadium in Port-au-Prince has also been closed since Februasry 2024.
The area around the stadium, like about 90% of the capital, is controlled by gangs. Gang violence, corruption, hunger, and political instability shape the lives of the country’s 12 million inhabitants in the poorest nation on the American continent.
Haiti is a humanitarian catastrophe but football provides a distraction and offers hope.
“Especially for young people growing up in Haiti under the current circumstances, the game gives them faith,” Bellegarde said.
Home matches in World Cup qualifying were played in Curaçao, sometimes in front of only 500 fans.
At the World Cup, a similar picture could emerge. Because of a US entry ban, Haitians who do not already have a visa are not allowed to enter the country.
Whether they could even afford the trip is another matter and ticket prices alone are likely beyond the reach of Haitians living in the US.
They will probably follow Haiti’s second World Cup appearance, after 1974, only on television.
When Sanon made himself immortal
Alongside midfield engine Bellegarde, the team’s stars are defender leader Johny Placide and striker Duckens Nazon.
The 32-year-old has scored 44 goals in 78 international appearances. The squad also includes goalkeeper Josué Duverger, who plays for fifth-tier German club Cosmos Koblenz.
Since coach Migné instilled belief in the team, but above all discipline and unity, things have been going well. Under the 53-year-old, Haiti has averaged 1.83 points per game across 24 matches.
Looking ahead to the World Cup, Migné takes a pragmatic approach: “Anything can happen in a single match. We want to write a new chapter in history with our players.”
Fifty-two years ago in West Germany, Haiti suffered three defeats. After matches against Italy, Poland, and Argentina, the team finished with a goal difference of 2–14.
Emmanuel Sanon, who died in 2008, became famous through his two goals at that tournament. With 100 appearances, he remains not only the national team’s record holder but also its all-time leading scorer with 47 goals.
Nazon's adventure
Nazon could draw level with three more goals, after arguably one of the most adventurous journeys to the World Cup.
The striker plays for Esteghlal in Iran. At the end of February, he wanted to take a flight from Tehran to Paris to deal with his World Cup visa but got caught up in the first American-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
“The flight attendant told us to get off the plane because the war had just started,” says Nazon. “Suddenly, you’re just in survival mode.”
According to him, a rocket later struck only about 100 meters away from where he was. He got into a car and traveled overland and eventually managed to leave the country via Azerbaijan in a 20-hour trip.
The experience has also shaped his outlook on the World Cup.
“We’re not afraid of anyone. We’re humble, but we’re also proud because we are Haitians,” says Nazon, adding: “I want to score a goal at the World Cup. I don’t care at all against whom.”