When the Women’s World Cup trophy reached Haiti earlier this year, very few people on the Caribbean island actually saw it.
World football’s governing body FIFA had embarked on a mission to take the trophy to all 32 nations to have qualified for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. But in Haiti, located on an island around 600 miles south east of the U.S. city of Miami, the tour encountered a problem. It was deemed too dangerous to organise a public parade or large-scale event, as was done in other countries. Instead, the trophy was quietly displayed in a small ceremony, brought in and out of the country under tight security.
Since the assassination of the country’s president Jovenel Moise in July 2021, life in the country has been extremely difficult and dangerous, as armed groups have taken control of many parts of the capital, Port au Prince, and control roadways, carrying out frequent kidnappings and killings.
The only player from the team present to see the trophy during its visit to Haiti was goalkeeper Kerly Theus, who plays professionally with FC Miami City. For the past two years, the Haitian national team have been training in the neighboring Dominican Republic because of security concerns, and Nicolas Delepine, who took on the job as the team’s manager…
