The Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) reported this Saturday that the United States government granted permission for Caribbean players residing in the northern country to represent the island’s team in the fifth edition of the World Classic, scheduled from March 8 to 21 in various cities in Asia and America.
“We have received a communication from the organizers of the Clásico announcing that the license requested by them was granted so that the Cuba team can register Cuban athletes, whether they are from MLB or not, who have residence in the United States. .”, affirmed Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, president of the FCB, in statements reproduced by the official JIT portal.
The note explains that there are no details about the license granted, although once the details are known they will be in a position to announce the pre-score of the Cuba team. So far, the Island is the only country that has not submitted its shortlisted entries, a procedure that the rest of the participants in the Classic have already complied with for more than a month.
#Cuba will be able to have MLB athletes in the V World Classic of #Baseball
The government of #USA You have issued a permit that should not exist. #BaseBall https://t.co/QY2Ol6sKlb pic.twitter.com/Muus1Tp7mR— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) December 24, 2022
The FCB recognized that this is a positive step, although they described as “arbitrary and discriminatory” the fact that Cuba needs a permit from the US government so that the organizers of the event can guarantee their presence. The Island, they added, is not only the founder of the Classic, but also earned its right to compete after qualifying like the rest of the 19 contenders.
“It is equally unfair that Cuban athletes, because the ones we are going to summon are Cubans, trained in our country and who, despite all the pressures, want to represent their people, also depend on an authorization from the US Government to comply. their dream of playing with the country where they were born”, added the FCB in their communication, in which they thanked MLB and the World Baseball and Softball Confederation for their work in the negotiations as organizers of the Classic.
For the first time since the tournament was created in 2006, the Cuban baseball authorities expressed their intention to summon players residing outside the country for the tournament in mid-November. Three weeks later, at the beginning of December, reported that the United States government should grant some permits to materialize this call to professionals based in northern territory.
Since then, nothing more had been known about the matter, until the journalist Francys Romero revealed last Wednesday, December 21, that members of the foreign ministry and Cuban baseball authorities had met with representatives of the US government to address and negotiate the issue of the licenses. The FCB denied said meeting, but only 48 hours later they have communicated the final authorization of the United States.
Now Cuba will have to put the finishing touches on its shortlist, in which several Major League players such as Luis Robert Moirán, Yoan Moncada, Andy Ibáñez, Yoan López and Roennis Elías have already accepted their inclusion. Others who also agreed to join the team in the Clásico are Yoennis Céspedes, Elián Leyva, Onelki García and Lorenzo Quintana.
