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Football/Soccer - 13 soccer kids fled JFK; 11 members of Haitian Soccer team are now back
Missing booties return to team Haiti
13 soccer kids fled JFK; 11 now back
Posted Friday, June 15th 2007, 4:00 AM
Members of the Haitian under-17 soccer team, at the Ramada Hotel inside JFK. While on a layover at the airport Tuesday night, 13 of the team's 18 members made a break for it.
All of the Haitian junior soccer players who vanished during a Kennedy Airport layover were accounted for last night, as Haitian authorities derided locals for helping them bolt in a van.
The 13 missing players turned themselves over to authorities after disappearing on a trip to McDonald's.
Two of the players made it all the way to Boston, but were expected to be reunited with the squad. One was being held by U.S. immigration officials, but was expected to be released last night to his coaches, Haitian officials said.
"It's a very sad situation," said Yves Philogène Labaze, one of the coaches. "You know how long they've trained? Since 11 years old."
Felix Augustin, the Haitian consul general in New York, said at least two players who went AWOL were sent back to Haiti yesterday as punishment and replaced by alternates.
All of the players are under 17. The squad made headlines in Haiti for qualifying for the Under-17 World Cup championships in South Korea in August.
The team was set to catch a flight at Kennedy to the Asian nation just before midnight last night.
"We're happy to be here and we're looking forward to playing in Korea," Aian Ateye, a player who did not bolt, told reporters as the team posed for photos.
The team was headed to Seoul to play in a warmup tournament for the World Cup when the bulk of the 18-player squad fled.
"This has been a shock," Augustin said.
The drama began between Tuesday night, when the team arrived at JFK, and Wednesday morning as they waited for their original flight to South Korea.
Augustin said the team was eating at a McDonald's in the airport when the players made their fast break to a van waiting outside.
He said the van sped to a predetermined location, where the players were handed off to relatives and friends.
"Some dissident groups that don't like the government, in my opinion, could have done this to embarrass the government," Augustin said.
June 15, 2007 -- The Haitian soccer players are back. Now, two Cuban kickers are missing.
Just as an AWOL group of young Haitian soccer players was rounded up, the Cuban senior national soccer team announced that two players from its junior national squad may have defected before a game in Houston.
Forward Lester More, one of Cuba's leading scorers, disappeared during the team's previous stop at Giants Stadium, team officials said. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso did not return from a group shopping trip in Houston.
"The ones that are not here are not here because they choose not to be," Cuban coach Raul Gonzalez said after his team lost to Honduras, 5-0, Wednesday night. "They went for the gold. I hope they don't end up with thorns."
The coach declined to say whether the two had defected. "I'm a football man, not a politician," he said.
Meanwhile, Haitian community leaders were hoping for the best for 13 members of the country's under-17 national team, who deserted during a layover at Kennedy Airport, the first stop on a trip to South Korea for a pre-World Cup tournament.
Haitian Consulate General Felix Augustin said the teens absconded while in an airport McDonald's, and got into a van that was waiting outside.
Eleven scattered to the five boroughs while two went to Boston. But by yesterday, the 11 had surfaced and were whisked back to Haiti, and the Beantown duo returned from Boston last night.
Teammates and their coach said the boys broke away to flee miserable living conditions in Haiti.
Augustin said the plan likely was launched by adults before the squad left Haiti for New York because the van was waiting outside the terminal when the team arrived.
"It seems to me, in the course of coming to this country, they have been manipulated by some groups or some adults," Augustin told The Post. "And, of course, they were misguided to do exactly what they were told to do."
Augustin said the players would not be punished - but others close to the team said the teenagers would, in fact, be "disciplined."
"The situation is complicated," said coach Jean Yves Labaze. "Some decision will be made, but I don't know at what level."
The team is the pride of Haiti, and each victory raises the hopes of Haitians from Flatbush to Port-au-Prince.
"Representing your country is serious business," said Joseph Deorne, 52, as he played dominoes in the back of a barbershop on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn.
"They don't need to be punished. When you represent your flag, it's serious. Hopefully, the team will win."
Augustin said the players returned after appeals from the Haitian Football Federation.
The team members who did not flee - plus eight replacement players flown in from Haiti - gathered at Kennedy Airport last night for a scheduled early-morning flight to South Korea today.
Haitian U-17s vanish, then reappear at JFK stopover
Haitian U-17s vanish, then reappear at JFK stopover
Friday, Jun 15, 2007 7:00 AM ET
THERE WAS A BIZARRE TWIST to one of soccer's great success stories of the year when 13 members of Haiti's U-17 team vanished after arriving Tuesday night at New York's Kennedy International Airport, where they were scheduled to fly to South Korea for an international tournament in preparation for the U-17 World Cup there later in the summer.
After Haitian Football Federation president Yves Jean-Bart appealed on a Haitian Creole-language radio station in New York to the players to "reinstate themselves as soon as possible," the players all returned to the team.
The players reportedly went to a McDonald's near JFK and were taken away in a van in a scheme hatched by U.S. friends and relatives. Two went to Boston, and the others were in the New York area, according to reports.
Haiti qualified for the U-17 World Cup for the first time when it captured one of two berths from a CONCACAF qualifying tournament, along with Honduras, ahead of Mexico, the 2005 U-17 world champion. It was headed to South Korea, where the U.S. U-17s are also scheduled to compete in an eight-team tournament.
The disappearance of the young Haitians recalled one of the great stories of the New York Cosmos. For their opening game at the new Giants Stadium in March 1977, the Cosmos were scheduled to play the Haitian club Victory, but Victory's players disappeared before the game. A group of local Haitians were rounded up and took the field to play the Cosmos, who won, 9-0, before only a few thousand fans in the pouring rain. Steve Ross, chairman of Warner Communications, which owned the Cosmos, knew nothing about Haitian soccer, impostors or no imposter's, and was said to have been pleased with the big win. (The Cosmos did go on to win the NASL title in Pele's farewell season, by the end of which Giants Stadium was packed.)
NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 15, 2007: Thirteen junior league Haitian soccer players who went missing after they arrived in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Tuesday evening have been found.
Ricot Dupuy, station manager of Radio Soleil, yesterday told HBN that the 13 missing players turned themselves in to team officials, but it was unclear why they had left the team in the first place or with whom.
The team, consisting of 18 teenaged boys, age 14-16, were en route to South Korea for a tournament when they landed at JFK for a connecting flight to South Korea. Most ended up missing from John F. Kennedy International Airport between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. According to Dupuy, "The boys were not harmed.”
He also said that the majority of the team left New York yesterday afternoon for South Korea. Two of its missing players ended up in Boston and are en route to meet the remaining players in South Korea. Since learning of the boys disappearance, 8 players were dispatched from Haiti to New York to join the remaining team.
The ordeal of the 13 boys who went missing is still being investigated by the New York City police department. As of now, criminal charges will not be filed against the boys for any part they might have played in their disappearance.
At time of press, New York Consul General to Haiti, Felix Augustin, could not be reached for comment.
Carlo Chatelain, a Haitian national and co-founder of the New York Women's Metropolitan Soccer Team, voiced concern for the well-being of the boys as they travel throughout the world.
As a former player, Chatelain also coached youth soccer teams. Outside of the traditional parent consent forms that were mandatory for trips of this nature, Chatelain insisted, "There was always 1 chaperone per 4 players."
It is unknown if any adult chaperones traveled with the team for this part of the trip.
As the top-rated sport in Haiti, "soccer is the pride of our country", said Chatelain.
"Anytime a soccer team wins in Haiti, everyone is happy."
The team's members come from Port-au-Prince, the country's capitol, and its surrounding provinces. While Haiti is known for its vast poverty, the team is comprised of all the economic sectors in Haiti. Fabien Vorbe, one of its prominent players, is among the team's players from wealthy families.
Affaire de la Sélection nationale cadette d'Haïti ci-devant U-17
Affaire de la Sélection nationale cadette d'Haïti ci-devant U-17
-- Posté le 15 juin 2007 à 8 h 17
Des 13 joueurs de la sélection U-17 ayant déserté le groupe, cinq sont retournés de force au pays et les huit ont rejoint la délégation. Certaines personnes pensent que les joueurs ne sont pas bien rénumérés et dont la prise en charge laisse à désirer, ont adopté ce comportement bizarre. Elles ont pour preuve, lors du dernier match de l'équipe nationale cadette au stade Sylvio Cator contre une équipe venant des Etats Unis, un joueur devait remplacer un autre, celui qui allait monter sur le champs n'avait pas de protège de tibia, c'est le sortant qui le lui a passé. A ce stade, ils ne devraient pas être privés de ce matériel important pour un match international. A cela, il faut ajouter que dans la plupart du temps, certains vivent dans des situations très précaires. Le football aurait du être le meilleur chemin capable de les conduire vers le bien être. Ce n'est pas encore le cas. Le choc qu'ils sont en train de vivre actuellement ne les aidera pas à affronter les adversaires du tournoi de Corrée. Il faudra l'intervention immédiate des psychologues pour les remetre en confiance avant d'entamer la compétition.
Dans l'intervalle, une interrogation s'impose. Pourquoi des enfants de 15 et de 16 ans ont ils l'intention de déserter une délégation aussi prestigieuse? N'y a-t-il pas anguilles sur roches? Des gens déclarent que de très grandes équipes de la zone auraient bien voulu participer à ce tournoi, mais n'y ont pas été invitées. Or tout forfait de la formation haïtienne leur donnerait l'occasion de compter parmi les invitées. Une enquête devrait être menée pour indexer les vrais coupables de cette affaire.
Il faut souligner l'aspect économique de la situation. Il est bruit que l'un d'entre les fugitifs aurait demandé l'asile politique. Si cela s'avère une réalité, il faut interroger l'enfant sur des personnes qui l'ont rapidement aidé à se présenter au bureau de l'immigration pour entamer ces démarches. Il semblerait que ces actions aient été planifiées pour que le scandale s'ouvre au grand jour. Ceci n'est pas l'affaire des "teen ager" Les membres de la délégation haïtienne devront répondre des actes commis par ces pauvres d'esprit et naïfs. La manipulation des joueurs a entrainé la honte non seulement pour la sélection U-17 mais aussi pour le peuple haïtien accusé en permanence de tous les maux de cette terre. La fierté haïtienne a toujours été éphémère. C'est le prix à payer.
La société haïtienne gagnerait beaucoup à ne pas se lancer dans des situations compremettantes qui avilissent encore une fois sa dignité. Au moment où le pays connait un ouf de soulagement avec la baisse considérable de l'insécurité. Le dollar a tendance à baisser par rapport à la monnaie locale. Des investissements s'annoncent à travers la loi HOPE et d'autres projets de grandes envergures qui s'implanteront dans le pays. Une sélection qualifiée pour la phase finale de la coupe du monde après 33 ans de participation. Est ce qu'il existe une main puante qui fragilise toutes les retombées positives de la nation haïtienne?
Les 13 déserteurs de la sélection cadette regagnent le groupe
Les 13 déserteurs de la sélection cadette regagnent le groupe
Les 13 footballeurs haïtiens qui avaient fait défection mercredi dernier ont regagné le staff de la délégation jeudi après midi. 11 d’entre eux ont regagné l’hôtel, alors que deux autres qui se trouvaient à Boston sont sur le chemin du retour a indiqué le consul général d’Haïti à New York, Felix Augustin, soulignant que la raison de ce long déplacement était inconnu.
Les joueurs, âgés de 16 ans, sont membres de la sélection U-17, qualifiée pour la coupe du monde, et qui devrait disputer un tournoi pré mondial en Corée du Sud.
Selon les informations disponibles les 13 joueurs ont déserté le groupe quelques heures après leur arrivée au Kennedy International Airport. On ne sait ou les jeunes se sont rendus et pourquoi ils avaient quitté l’équipe a déclaré M. Augustin pour qui des parents et des amis vivant aux Etats-Unis seraient responsables de la désertion.
" Ils ont été manipulés, ceci a été organisé, c’est clair", a-t-il indiqué lors d’une conférence au Madisson Avenue Office. Après leur arrivée au JFK, l’entraîneur et les 18 joueurs se sont rendus à un restaurant Mac Donald, non loin de l’aéroport. 13 d’entre eux ont déserté le groupe en prenant place dans un bus a expliqué Felix Augustin qualifiant la situation de Kidnapping.
" Je ne crois pas que ces jeunes savaient ce qu’ils faisaient ", a-t-il indiqué soulignant que 11 d’entre eux se trouvaient dans la ville de New York.
Le retour des joueurs a peut être été possible en raison de l’appel du président de la fédération de Football, Yves Jean Bart, lequel avait indiqué que ces jeunes étaient entrain d’hypothéquer leur avenir sportif. Il avait également menacé de soumettre le dossier au FBI alors que des responsables de l’autorité portuaire de New York et de New Jersey, l’ambassade américaine à Port-au-Prince et les services de surveillance de la frontière avaient été alertés.
Toutefois le consul général d’Haïti à New York, Felix Augustin, soutient qu’aucune plainte n’a été déposée dans le cadre de cette affaire.
Two days after 13 members of the Haitian national junior soccer team disappeared during a stopover at Kennedy International Airport, all but one had returned voluntarily, a Haitian diplomat said last night. The last boy was being held by the police and was waiting to be picked up, the diplomat said, but did not disclose the location.
The diplomat, Felix Augustin, the Haitian consul general in New York, spoke at a hotel near the airport, alongside members of the team and their coaches.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Augustin blamed “outsiders” for the boys’ disappearance, and suggested that the players’ friends and relatives in the United States had been involved.
Officials had said two of the players had gone to Boston, and the rest were in New York City.
Mr. Augustin said it was unclear why the players, all under 17, had walked off, and rejected suggestions that they would abandon their team for a new life in the United States.
“They are all well-to-do youngsters, but when they listened to the news reports, they found out they were misguided and they called their families and then they got back safely,” he said last night.
One player, Aian Atiye, said team members were excited about continuing their trip and competing in South Korea. “We are happy to be here, and we are looking forward to playing,” he said, before leaving with his team for the airport.
A growing number of Haitians have been trying this year to flee their country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, to come to the United States.
The 13 boys, part of a team of 18, disappeared on Tuesday evening during a trip to an airport McDonald’s with their teammates and coaches, slipping outside and into a waiting van, Mr. Augustin said. He said he did not know who had provided the van, but suggested that family members had orchestrated a plan to whisk the boys away, and had manipulated them into participating.
Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said it was investigating the incident, but had no indication that any laws had been violated.
Jean Robert Vilbrun, a family friend of a player who had not fled with the others, said two of the boys had told their coaches that they had gotten lost in the airport. Mr. Vilbrun said one player had told him that the two had encouraged others to leave.
The disappearance of the boys was “a shock for everyone,” said Mr. Vilbrun, 49, a limousine driver from Queens, adding: “They are a wealthy group. They have no reason to leave Haiti; they travel all the time.”
The team had been at Kennedy awaiting a flight to South Korea on Wednesday to prepare for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup this summer. The invitation to compete in the tournament this year was the first for Haiti’s national youth soccer team.
Ricot Dupuy, the station manager of Radio Soleil, a Haitian radio station in Brooklyn, said the boys’ disappearance was “the talk of the town” in the borough’s Haitian enclaves.
“This is one of the worst things that could have happened,” Mr. Dupuy said. “We Haitians live for soccer. It’s one of the only things that we are proud of.”
He added: “The general feeling is that parents may be involved somehow. The parents may not have fully appreciated the ramifications of defecting to the U.S.”
At the Impeccable barbershop on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, where many Haitian immigrants live, Joseph Deorna, 51, criticized the runaway players as he clipped hair.
“It’s not right for the country; it’s not right for the team,” he said. “The players have promised to return Haiti to its former glory from the 1970s. What they did yesterday, they broke that promise.”
His customer, Ozias Antoine, echoed Mr. Deorna.
“It’s disappointing,” said Mr. Antoine, 48. “They’re representing our flag, our country. Whoever tried to get them to do it, it’s illegal and it’s not right.” The team was scheduled to fly to South Korea at 11:45 last night.
According to Radio this morning ... One player is asking for Political Asylum ... I did not pick up the full name of the player that is asking for Political Asylum ... but I pick up this name Jean Baptist (Don't quote me on the name)
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