Haiti have overcome turmoil to reach the promised land
Haiti have overcome turmoil to reach the promised land
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, its capital city is run largely by gangs and the federation has been through a sexual abuse scandal, yet their women have reached a World Cup.
“I would say that being in this position today is like a childhood dream for me,” says Monique André, current vice-president of the FHF (Haiti Football Federation).
Haiti, currently one of the poorest nations anywhere in the world, is about to embark on a first Women’s World Cup, with an array of young talents offering glimmers of hope to nation in disarray.
André, who until 2005 worked for various airlines before setting up her own travel company, played in Haiti’s first ever women’s match in December 1977 and for over a decade has been involved with the federation, where in 2013 she became President of the Haitian Women’s Football Commission.
Throughout everything this nation, and indeed this team, has been through over the past 15 years, André has been one of the key figures in trying to get things back on track, and she’s overwhelmed with pride as Haiti prepares to show its best side to a global audience.
“From an early age, despite the fact the taboos of the time imposed by parents not to involve girls in football, I was introduced to this sport,” she recalls, proudly. “Even though I didn’t have the chance to continue playing and to join a club, I always attached to football.”
André moved abroad to live in Spain for a while, a country much more endowed in the world of football than Haiti, and when she returned home she was even more passionate about making the women’s team a success.
They have produced some superb players, the standout of which is Melchie Dumornay, who joins one of Europe’s biggest clubs Lyon this summer.
But there are many others also playing in France’s top league, while others are in the American college system, so what’s the secret for this impoverished nation to be producing superstar talents such as Dumornay?
“The secret is a passion and a love for one’s country,” says André. “For having lived close to the atmosphere of football in the hustle and bustle of Haiti, only the excessive passion can guide these young people to still fight to make their country proud.
“However, passion despite talent is not enough on its own. You have to be spotted and it takes practice and effort. The players like those who shine today on the international scene have for the most part been recruited during national competitions and have been introduced to the Haitian Football Academy, with full board and to receive training.”
The Academy, known as the Academie Camp Nou, was built with the proceeds offered by nations around the world after the nation was devastated by an earthquake in 2010 which killed over 200,000 people, and there were few players in the squad at the time who didn’t lose someone.
When the team tried to qualify for the World Cup in 2015, the country was still picking itself up from the disaster. Natacha Cajuste, one of their players at the time, was the sole survivor in a café decimated by the earthquake, while her brother lost a leg.
The national under 17s team were training at the national stadium at the time, while their head coach Jean-Yves Labaze, who was at a meeting at the Federation’s headquarters nearby, was killed.
The nation has never really recovered. The poverty in the capital Port-au-Prince is beyond comprehension and gangs have largely taken over the city, with 60% thought to be under the control of gangs despite heavy police presence.
Most of the city is a no-go area, so much so that when the World Cup trophy arrived for its tour earlier this year, it was heavily guarded and there was no public parade, such was the fear of violence in the city.
In 2021, the nation’s President, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated and his wife injured, plunging a country already consumed by violence and economic crisis into further turmoil.
On the backdrop of all that, it’s scarcely believable any team could qualify for a World Cup, but Haiti has managed to do so.
“In this context of insecurity and fragility, this qualification is one of the most important moments we know as people…”
“This qualification for the World Cup brings joy and pride for Haitians and Haiti in general to celebrate,” says André. “Our under 20 women qualified for the World Cup in 2018 and our under 17 and under 20 men’s teams have qualified too.
“We still remember the performances of the men who qualified in 1974. We still rehash the images of pride and positivity that this caused. However, this qualification touched more hearts. In this context of insecurity and fragility, this qualification is one of the most important moments we know as people.
“Personally, qualifying brought me a lot of emotion. It was like a dream come true because naturally, each time a selection qualifies, the whole country hopes to reach a World Cup. We have always and for a long time nurtured this hope, this dream of playing in a World Cup. It is, unquestionably, incredible.”
One man who helped get them there is Shek Borkowski, a Polish coach who had enjoyed success in the women’s game in both the USA and Europe before he became Haiti head coach in 2012, just two years after the earthquake.
Borkowski wasn’t paid for his work as the country picked itself up from a human tragedy, but he set about doing what he could and using his experience to pave the way for where the women’s team is today.
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“Kids see football as a way out of misery,” says Borkowski, recalling what faced him when he arrived in the country over a decade ago. “Haiti has been struggling since the 1970s, but the earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, so for a lot of kids football became a way out.
“You have thousands of girls now all over the country who are physically good, technically competitive, but maybe the biggest problem I found at that time was a lack of tactical discipline and maybe a lack of a professional approach towards training and development.”
Borkowski recalls turning up for his first training session and most players showed up late. Some five minutes, some as much as 20 minutes late.
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