The selection of cuban football You will not be able to take advantage of the next FIFA date by running out of rivals to play the matches scheduled for next week.
As reported on Wednesday by the Island Soccer Association, the commitments scheduled for September 22 and 25 had to be suspended after Saint Kitts and Nevis, the country with which they had agreed, declined to participate in them.
“Unfortunately, we wish to inform you that Saint Kitts and Nevis cannot participate in the previously confirmed matches due to logistical problems beyond our control,” Techell McLean, secretary general of the entity that governs football in that Caribbean nation, explained in a message.
Faced with this unforeseen event, the authorities of this sport in Cuba “tried to reach agreements with other rivals” to carry out the matches on the FIFA date, “but it was not possible under the current conditions,” review the website Hit.
Saint Kitts and Nevis cancel date matches #FIFA in view of #Cuba
The short time between the suspension and the date made it impossible to make games against another rival. #soccer https://t.co/Sbpp84RDes pic.twitter.com/aYiJjH6x7U— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) September 14, 2022
The sports publication quotes Miguel Ángel Díaz, general secretary of the Cuban Football Association, who pointed out that negotiations were carried out with several countries in the area interested in facing the Cuban team, “but the short time between the cancellation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the date of the matches made it impossible to finalize it”.
“Among those federations are those of Belize, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Even the latter was about to arrive in the Greater Antilles after knowing the guarantees that we offered for its reception, but the difficulties with the air ticket office prevented it,” added the manager.
In accordance with Hitthe also technical head of the National Football Commission clarified that “Cuba had all the conditions to carry out the matches”, but even so it was impossible.
The specialized media lamented the cancellation of these clashes, which it considered of “vital importance for the Cuban team in order to add points for the Fifa ranking and test players from the national league.”
The latter, he added, is important for the Cuban team with a view to “preparing the relay by positions and evaluating the different variants in the squad led by Pablo Elier Sánchez.”
The duels against Saint Kitts and Nevis were scheduled for the Antonio Maceo stadium, in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. That facility was recently reopened after an extensive refurbishment process carried out thanks to funding from FIFA through its development program.
Since its reopening, the Santiago stadium, equipped with artificial turf, has hosted several official international matches for the senior team and the women’s national team.
It is not the first time that the Cuban team has not been able to play matches during FIFA dates in recent times. These cancellations hamper their possibilities for growth and collective articulation, at a time when the Island is determined to improve its performance at the international level after the entry into the squad of players who play in foreign leagues.
