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Dominican Republic bans Haiti from playing on its territory after 4-1 derby defeat
A day after an incident at a gate of the Félix Sánchez stadium, the Dominican Republic has banned Haiti’s national team from playing in the country’s facilities. Haiti won 4-1 in the Hispaniola derby.
by Lucas Morel · 1 min read
Wilson Isidor scored twice on Friday at the Félix Sánchez stadium. After his goal, the Haiti striker shouted: “Hispaniola is Haiti! This is Haiti!” Around 25,000 spectators filled the stands, most of them Haitians who had crossed the border for the first meeting between the two neighbours on Dominican soil since 2013. Final score: 4-1 to Haiti.
A forced gate, a total ban
The previous evening, Haiti supporters had tried to force one of the entrance gates, with every ticket sold. On Friday, sports minister Kelvin Cruz drew the line: “The sports ministry totally forbids the Haitian national football team from playing in Dominican sports facilities.” The scenes at that gate, in a stadium that cost the Dominican state millions of pesos, were “unacceptable”, he added, calling it a “firm decision” by his ministry.
A derby inside a bilateral dispute
The two federations share one island in frozen relations: President Luis Abinader is building a wall along the 380-kilometre border, and more than 250,000 Haitians were expelled between January and August. José Deschamps, president of the Dominican federation, told AFP that Isidor’s words “were not appropriate, given the situation the two countries are going through”. The Haitian federation replied on social media: “on the pitch, it is competition; outside, respect for the neighbour.”
Haiti settled the rest on the pitch: a third straight win in CONCACAF Nations League group A, level with Curaçao at the top, and Costa Rica at home on Monday. On which pitch, nobody has said: no report names the fixtures covered by the ban, and CONCACAF has not reacted publicly.