MIAMI, United States. — The Italian Riccardo Fraccari, president of the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball (WCSB, for its acronym in English) met this Wednesday with sports authorities in Cuba and with the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel.
On an official visit to the island, the federation offered a press conference in the Adolfo Luque room of the Latin American stadium after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB).
Although he did not offer details of the document, Fraccari said that the document addresses issues related to the development of baseball in the country, as well as the possible creation of academies and, above all, the support of the FCB, an entity subordinate to the Cuban government that directs to the hiring of Cuban baseball players in professional leagues.
“This is an important issue that the players are waiting for and I think the time has come for this opening of Cuban baseball,” the director told officials and official media of the island.
The president of the WCSB insisted on hiring Cuban players in foreign leagues, something that has been happening for several years.
“It is important that this message reaches Cuban athletes. Let them know that they can, in a legal and orderly manner, hire themselves abroad, have one more chance to play baseball at a high level, ”he explained.
Fraccari also made it clear that the World Baseball Softball Confederation will not support the call. Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Playersa project made up of players from the Island who play in Major League organizations.
“The national federations are the only ones that have the right to form teams to represent a country.”
Díaz-Canel, “a lover of baseball”
The federation was also received by Miguel Díaz-Canel at the Palace of the Revolution. During the exchange, Raúl Castro’s successor thanked Fraccari for “the support they have given our country in a group of programs, projects to strengthen the development of these sports.”
In reciprocity, Fraccari pointed out that Díaz-Canel was “in love with baseball.”
“You can see that he is aware of what is happening, he is interested because baseball is the heritage of this country. So I left very happy.”
The journalist and writer Francys Romero, an expert on Cuban baseball, lamented the meeting between the Italian director and Díaz-Canel.
“There is not much more to say after these photos. The WBSC, which postulates that any baseball player can be summoned by his Federation regardless of religion or political position, met with Miguel Díaz Canel“, wrote the reporter in his account of Facebook.
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