Tweet
Sadly, one of the Caribbean's, CONCACAF's and Haiti's greatest strikers left us over a week ago. In 1974 when Haiti went to the world cup, Manno Sanon created hysteria nd euphoria in the country of Papa Doc as he weaved his nagic to knock one out of the reach of Italy's great goalie, Dino Zoff. One of Sanno's team-mates, No-No Jean-Baptiste, was once my coach in the late 80's and I met the great Sanon when he came to one of our games.
R.I.P. Emmanuel Sanon! See Miami Herald story below:
--------------------------------------------------------------
BY TRENTON DANIEL
ckent@MiamiHerald.com
function PopupPic(sPicURLx, sHeight, sWidth) { var sPicURL = "/466/v-morephotos/story/431781.html"; y=Math.floor((screen.availHeight-sHeight)/2); x=Math.floor((screen.width-sWidth)/2); window.open(sPicURL,"slideshow","width="+sWidth+", height="+sHeight+",top="+y+",left="+x+",scrollbars =auto,resizable=yes").focus(); }
ARIANA CUBILLOS/AP
A poster of Haitian soccer legend Emmanuel Sanon is seen inside the goal at a funeral ceremony is his honor at the Sylvio Cator stadium in Port-au-Prince, March 5, 2008.
Emmanuel Sanon, one of Haiti's most celebrated soccer players, died at his Orlando home Thursday from pancreatic cancer, family members said. He was 56.
Sanon, affectionately known as Manno, was best-known among Haitians and soccer enthusiasts for his goal against Italian Dino Zoff in the 1974 World Cup match in Munich, West Germany.
Haiti lost 3-1, but that didn't matter: The striker's goal marked the end of Zoff's record 1,142 minutes without yielding a goal in international tournaments. Today, Haitian soccer fans readily recall their whereabouts that summer day.
''To this day, we really feel -- it may be naive, it may be romantic -- that Manno Sanon won that game,'' recounted radio commentator Herntz Phanord, who watched the match in a crowded movie house in New York. ``When Manno scored that goal, there was an eruption of joy. That was the goal that was heard around the world.''
Born in Haiti in 1951, Sanon grew up in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the son of Darius Sanon and Cherisna Fortune. Not until his teens did he begin his lifelong love affair with soccer.
That passion propelled Sanon to national-icon status in Haiti -- where soccer has long been worshipped. In four years, he scored 47 of the 106 goals scored by the Haitian national team, according to haitifoot.com, a website devoted to Haitian soccer.
FAMOUS MATCH
Of all Sanon's matches, the World Cup game with Italy remained the most well-known, still regarded as among the most memorable World Cup matches for its David-and-Goliath parallels.
It was the first time a Caribbean team qualified for the World Cup finals, according to haitifoot.com.
Immediately after a scoreless first half, Sanon broke the goalkeeper's barrier with a deft kick to the right corner. A YouTube video shows Sanon raising his arms as his teammates bury him with hugs.
And so the elation of that goal spread from Munich to the Haitian Diaspora. It also sparked a joy in Haiti.
''This was more than Carnival, this was a celebration,'' said Jackson Marcelin, Manno's friend and attorney who watched the game as a boy in Port-au-Prince.
''Professionally, he will always be remembered for that event,'' said Sanon's son Emmanuel Jr., 32, of Orlando.
After the World Cup, Manno signed to play with the Antwerp club, Beerschoot, in Belgium. In the early 1980s, he joined the San Diego Sockers, an indoor professional team.
Years later, Sanon retired from soccer because of a knee injury but stayed involved in the sport, coaching in California, Texas and elsewhere. In 2000, he coached Haiti in a Gold Cup match against the United States at the Orange Bowl; Haiti lost 3-0.
STARTED FOUNDATION
In addition to coaching, Sanon lectured about the importance of soccer and sport, particularly in the Caribbean. In 1998, he founded the Foundation Emmanuel Sanon, or Fondesa, in Haiti with the idea of using sport to connect families.
Two years later, he brought the nonprofit organization to the United States.
Through the years, Sanon inspired generations of soccer players. Among them was Patrick Tardieu, a former player and captain for the national soccer team.
''I've grown up looking at this guy, thinking, I want to score a goal in the World Cup and be a superstar,'' said Tardieu, now a Miami business owner.
``He was a role model for all of us. He enabled us to believe in our dreams.''
In addition to his son, Sanon is survived by his wife Marie Suzie, children Sarah, Jean and Steven, and several grandchildren.
R.I.P. Emmanuel Sanon! See Miami Herald story below:
--------------------------------------------------------------
BY TRENTON DANIEL
ckent@MiamiHerald.com
function PopupPic(sPicURLx, sHeight, sWidth) { var sPicURL = "/466/v-morephotos/story/431781.html"; y=Math.floor((screen.availHeight-sHeight)/2); x=Math.floor((screen.width-sWidth)/2); window.open(sPicURL,"slideshow","width="+sWidth+", height="+sHeight+",top="+y+",left="+x+",scrollbars =auto,resizable=yes").focus(); }
ARIANA CUBILLOS/AP
A poster of Haitian soccer legend Emmanuel Sanon is seen inside the goal at a funeral ceremony is his honor at the Sylvio Cator stadium in Port-au-Prince, March 5, 2008.
Emmanuel Sanon, one of Haiti's most celebrated soccer players, died at his Orlando home Thursday from pancreatic cancer, family members said. He was 56.
Sanon, affectionately known as Manno, was best-known among Haitians and soccer enthusiasts for his goal against Italian Dino Zoff in the 1974 World Cup match in Munich, West Germany.
Haiti lost 3-1, but that didn't matter: The striker's goal marked the end of Zoff's record 1,142 minutes without yielding a goal in international tournaments. Today, Haitian soccer fans readily recall their whereabouts that summer day.
''To this day, we really feel -- it may be naive, it may be romantic -- that Manno Sanon won that game,'' recounted radio commentator Herntz Phanord, who watched the match in a crowded movie house in New York. ``When Manno scored that goal, there was an eruption of joy. That was the goal that was heard around the world.''
Born in Haiti in 1951, Sanon grew up in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the son of Darius Sanon and Cherisna Fortune. Not until his teens did he begin his lifelong love affair with soccer.
That passion propelled Sanon to national-icon status in Haiti -- where soccer has long been worshipped. In four years, he scored 47 of the 106 goals scored by the Haitian national team, according to haitifoot.com, a website devoted to Haitian soccer.
FAMOUS MATCH
Of all Sanon's matches, the World Cup game with Italy remained the most well-known, still regarded as among the most memorable World Cup matches for its David-and-Goliath parallels.
It was the first time a Caribbean team qualified for the World Cup finals, according to haitifoot.com.
Immediately after a scoreless first half, Sanon broke the goalkeeper's barrier with a deft kick to the right corner. A YouTube video shows Sanon raising his arms as his teammates bury him with hugs.
And so the elation of that goal spread from Munich to the Haitian Diaspora. It also sparked a joy in Haiti.
''This was more than Carnival, this was a celebration,'' said Jackson Marcelin, Manno's friend and attorney who watched the game as a boy in Port-au-Prince.
''Professionally, he will always be remembered for that event,'' said Sanon's son Emmanuel Jr., 32, of Orlando.
After the World Cup, Manno signed to play with the Antwerp club, Beerschoot, in Belgium. In the early 1980s, he joined the San Diego Sockers, an indoor professional team.
Years later, Sanon retired from soccer because of a knee injury but stayed involved in the sport, coaching in California, Texas and elsewhere. In 2000, he coached Haiti in a Gold Cup match against the United States at the Orange Bowl; Haiti lost 3-0.
STARTED FOUNDATION
In addition to coaching, Sanon lectured about the importance of soccer and sport, particularly in the Caribbean. In 1998, he founded the Foundation Emmanuel Sanon, or Fondesa, in Haiti with the idea of using sport to connect families.
Two years later, he brought the nonprofit organization to the United States.
Through the years, Sanon inspired generations of soccer players. Among them was Patrick Tardieu, a former player and captain for the national soccer team.
''I've grown up looking at this guy, thinking, I want to score a goal in the World Cup and be a superstar,'' said Tardieu, now a Miami business owner.
``He was a role model for all of us. He enabled us to believe in our dreams.''
In addition to his son, Sanon is survived by his wife Marie Suzie, children Sarah, Jean and Steven, and several grandchildren.