The Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) accused the United States this Wednesday of “obstructing” its presence in the V World Classic of that sport, scheduled for March 2023. According to the president of the federation, Juan Reinaldo, it has not yet obtained the individual permits for Cuban Major League Baseball (MLB) players who confirmed their interest to join the Cuba team.
“Our Federation has even divulged to the fans and public opinion the names of the athletes who have confirmed their willingness to join the team, as all the other teams have done”, published by the official media Hit.
“A contradictory statement where it is intended to imply that the participation of players who belong to the Major League system is being blocked,” exposed the journalist Francys Romero on her social networks. This, she said, is the beginning of a “media battle for Cuba and the participation in the V World Baseball Classic.”
Andy Ibáñez (Detroit Tigers) and Yoan López (New York Mets) are some of the Cubans who confirmed their presence in the Cuban team for the Classic. Last November, these players were expelled from the Association of Professionals for agreeing to play with Cuba, which was described as an act of “double standards”, since months before they had expressed their support for the association, created in March to form a team of Major League Baseball players that could participate in the Classic World. The initiative was promoted by former players René Arocha, Orlando the duke Hernandez, Ariel Prieto, and Edilberto Oropeza.
The FCB assures that they have not been asked to “deliver the list of the 50 athletes eligible to make up the team that will represent us in this important tournament, as was already done with the rest of the countries that qualified for the V Clásico”
The FCB added that they do have the general team authorization to participate in the tournament, scheduled from March 8 to 21 in the cities of Taichung (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan), Phoenix and Miami (United States). However, he criticized the fact that the island is the only one that needs such permission, something that he considers to be a response to “the hostile policy of that country against Cuba.”
The FCB assures that they have not been asked to “deliver the list of the 50 athletes eligible to make up the team that will represent us in this important tournament, as was already done with the rest of the countries that qualified for the V Clásico”, which To say of Reinaldo is “a discriminatory treatment against Cuba that provokes the Government of the United States”.
In 2018, the Cuban authorities reached an agreement with the MLB that allowed island players in the US league not to lose their residence on the island or their ties to the federation. That signature was deactivated shortly after by then US President Donald Trump.
At the beginning of November, Pérez warned that “pressure and harassment” was being exerted against players in foreign leagues so that they would not play with Cuba in the V World Baseball Classic. Baseball, declared Cultural Heritage of Cuba, is not going through its best moment on the island and is suffering an unprecedented exodus of players.
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