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Haiti new power football force in the Caribbean

Sunday, January 28 2007

?You have no idea how important Football is to Haiti right now,? said M Yves Jean Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, here in Trinidad and Tobago for the Finals of the Digicel Caribbean Cup.

He was speaking at a luncheon for the Local Organising Committee and guests on Monday, one day before Haiti would win the championship.

He went on to say, ?There is nothing else?, emphasising the word ?nothing?. He described briefly, and not with any political suggestion, the conditions in Haiti, and the conditions under which football is played, and national teams developed.

He was, at the time, thanking Digicel for their sponsorship of Haitian football, and the Caribbean Football Union, for the support Haiti was receiving from that organisation. He concluded by telling us: ?Only through football can something positive be done for Haiti.? Haiti was the last team to qualify for the Finals. Logistical problems in their preliminary group phase saw them come to Trinidad and Tobago for a play-off against Dominican Republic and Bermuda. The Dominicans failed to show, and Haiti beat Bermuda twice, just before the Finals began, to earn their place. But the matches against Bermuda, plus two friendly outings against Havard and WASA, obviously were good for the Haitians. Following victories over Martinique and Barbados, they played Trinidad and Tobago in the final group match, with both teams already qualified for the semi-finals.

TT won that group match 3-1, and while the football played by both teams was good, it was not an easy victory for the Warriors. And it was no comfort for Coach Wim Riesenberg and the team to note that Haiti started the match with six players who had not started in the previous matches. It was good to see the size of the crowd which came out to the final. After disappointing attendances over the earlier matches, the fans came out and were pretty supportive, but we still seemed ashamed to sing our National Anthem. And even after the final whistle, when Haiti won 2-1, the crowd acknowledged and applauded Densill Theobald and his men. And the applause was well-deserved. This new, and mostly young team was definitely under the shadow of the Soca Warriors of Germany fame, and many wondered if they would be competitive against the best teams in the Caribbean.

In 2005, TT had barely qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, coming third in the Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals in Barbados, losing to Jamaica and Cuba before defeating the hosts. How would this ?locally based? team do this time? And after the opening match against Barbados, where we drew 1-1, some people were ready to write off the team, convinced that we would not get past Martinique and Haiti. But discerning fans saw the potential in the team, which is very quick, very committed, and which was creating chances, even if many of these were being missed. Haiti, the new Caribbean champions, beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-1, but they did not outshine or dominate us. We can be very proud of how our team played, and can look forward to being most competitive when we play in the Gold Cup in June.

For that tournament we will have access to our overseas-based players, but I do not believe there will be a wholesale infusion of the ex-pats. I believe that everyone will need to earn his place, and previous experience will not weigh heavier than proven form.

The ?locals? should not be too comfortable, however, for the country is always owed the best-possible selection. But the building continues: The team flies out to Costa Rica, to take on the Ticos on February 4, as the Central Americans prepare for their own championships next month in El Salvador.

This, plus a match against Panama, will be an excellent step up for the TT team at this stage, creating increased confidence and experience for us. I think that by June, coach Rijsenberg will have an interesting selection of players from which to chose.

The Caribbean will have four teams in the Gold Cup for the first time, and they present an interesting mix. One team, Guadeloupe, is really a part of France, and many of their best players are in Europe. Another, Cuba, has no diplomatic or other relations with the host country ? the USA. Will Cuba?s exile population in America support the Cubans or the Americans if they meet? TT are representing the ?traditional? Caribbean now that Jamaica will not be there. But the Haitians are another unusual story ? especially in America, where Haitians are viewed as refugees only.

I think this Haitian team, and indeed others to follow, will give people something else to think about when they talk of Haiti. They danced all over the stadium to Destra?s music when they won, and reminded us that just six months ago the Haitian Under-16 Team was dancing there too, having just beaten Mexico in the Caribbean Youth Cup Final, and Mexico were the FIFA World Under-17 champions. In between that, they defeated TT in the Under-21 and the Under-20 play-offs for the CAC Games and the CONCACAF qualifiers respectively. Look out for Dancing Haitians at the Gold Cup and beyond!

And remember, it is Digicel, and Caribbean football who gave this lift to Haiti. Can regional politicians learn from this?