Tweet
<SPAN class=art-title2>Haiti's long Golden road</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=paddingall><TD vAlign=top>
<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Haitian players are all smiles as they lift their first Caribbean Cup in Trinidad on 24 January.
</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">01 Feb 2007</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>Haiti - occupying one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola - took an upturn in fortunes in January by bouncing up ten spots in the FIFA Coca-Cola world ranking, becoming champions of the Caribbean for the first time in their history and booking a place at the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time since 2002.
The former French colony of Haiti has remained devoted to the unifying principles and simple joys of the people's game throughout its history. When the Boys from Brazil (Ronaldo. Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, et al) arrived to play a charity match for Peace in Port au Prince in 2004, the explosion of joy that greeted the Selecao bordered on the verge of a dream. the delight on the faces of the Haitianpeople was something unforgetable. And the crowd at the ground roared all six goals the Brazilians put past their boys in a 6-0 result. There is an appreciation for football in Haiti unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean.
One of only four Caribbean nations to have participated in aFIFA World Cup™, Haiti - with a golden generation of players like Arsene Auguste and Emmanuel Sanon coming through in the mid Seventies - stretched Italy and showed the watching world at Germany 1974 what a gem of native technique and improvisation was hiding out in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
But since then, Haiti and her football have been in a state of steady free-fall. Recently labelled a 'failed state' by the United Nations, Haiti - the only country ever formed by a successful slave rebellion - had little to shout about beyond the terror and anguish that defined day-to-day life in the country.
That was until January 2007, when, after becoming the last team to qualify, the Haitians went on a courageous tear through the region's top competitors to lift the Caribbean Cupfor the first time in their chequered history.
In addition to becoming the final team to qualify, Haiti also played the most games of any side (13) in what proved to be the largest edition of the 18-year-old tournament. After finishing in a three-way tie with St Vincent & the Grenadines and mighty Jamaica in their preliminary rounds in Kingston, the Haitians moved on to the finals by virtue of a superior goal difference, scoring 11 while only conceding three in three games.
Although their preliminary run was nothing short of impressive, the finals in Trinidad & Tobago were expected to be a road too far for the underdog French-speaking outfit. But with wins over Martinique and Barbados, they managed a place in the semi-finals. And after downing Jocelyn Angloma's impressive Guadeloupe by an equally impressive 3-1, Haiti found themselves in only their second Caribbean Cup final in 18 years of trying.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=left summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR id=TRCAP><TD vAlign=bottom align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Passion and soul. Haitian football fans gather around a TV set to watch their boys take on Brazil in 2004. Football is a religion in Haiti.</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRSOURCE><TD align=left><SPAN class
</TD></TR><TR class=paddingall><TD vAlign=top>
<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Haitian players are all smiles as they lift their first Caribbean Cup in Trinidad on 24 January.</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">01 Feb 2007</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>Haiti - occupying one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola - took an upturn in fortunes in January by bouncing up ten spots in the FIFA Coca-Cola world ranking, becoming champions of the Caribbean for the first time in their history and booking a place at the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time since 2002.
The former French colony of Haiti has remained devoted to the unifying principles and simple joys of the people's game throughout its history. When the Boys from Brazil (Ronaldo. Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, et al) arrived to play a charity match for Peace in Port au Prince in 2004, the explosion of joy that greeted the Selecao bordered on the verge of a dream. the delight on the faces of the Haitianpeople was something unforgetable. And the crowd at the ground roared all six goals the Brazilians put past their boys in a 6-0 result. There is an appreciation for football in Haiti unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean.
One of only four Caribbean nations to have participated in aFIFA World Cup™, Haiti - with a golden generation of players like Arsene Auguste and Emmanuel Sanon coming through in the mid Seventies - stretched Italy and showed the watching world at Germany 1974 what a gem of native technique and improvisation was hiding out in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
But since then, Haiti and her football have been in a state of steady free-fall. Recently labelled a 'failed state' by the United Nations, Haiti - the only country ever formed by a successful slave rebellion - had little to shout about beyond the terror and anguish that defined day-to-day life in the country.
That was until January 2007, when, after becoming the last team to qualify, the Haitians went on a courageous tear through the region's top competitors to lift the Caribbean Cupfor the first time in their chequered history.
In addition to becoming the final team to qualify, Haiti also played the most games of any side (13) in what proved to be the largest edition of the 18-year-old tournament. After finishing in a three-way tie with St Vincent & the Grenadines and mighty Jamaica in their preliminary rounds in Kingston, the Haitians moved on to the finals by virtue of a superior goal difference, scoring 11 while only conceding three in three games.
Although their preliminary run was nothing short of impressive, the finals in Trinidad & Tobago were expected to be a road too far for the underdog French-speaking outfit. But with wins over Martinique and Barbados, they managed a place in the semi-finals. And after downing Jocelyn Angloma's impressive Guadeloupe by an equally impressive 3-1, Haiti found themselves in only their second Caribbean Cup final in 18 years of trying.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=left summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR id=TRCAP><TD vAlign=bottom align=left><SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>Passion and soul. Haitian football fans gather around a TV set to watch their boys take on Brazil in 2004. Football is a religion in Haiti.</SPAN></TD></TR><TR id=TRSOURCE><TD align=left><SPAN class