‘Football is the joy’ for embattled Haiti as women impress in World
The Grenadières have written a bright new chapter in the history of Haitian football by qualifying for their first Women’s World Cup, bringing joy to the impoverished Caribbean nation pummelled by a perfect storm of crises.
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The tournament’s surprise package, Haiti shocked Chile in a playoff in February to qualify for their very first World Cup, which kicked off in Australia and New Zealand last week.
Coached by Frenchman Nicolas Delépine, the Haitians were hugely impressive on their World Cup debut against England on Saturday, dangerous on the counter-attack while restricting the European champions to a narrow 1-0 victory.
Praise rolled in afterwards for a team ranked 53rd in the world, who went close to an equaliser, with England coach Sarina Wiegman calling them “unpredictable”.
Delépine said the praise and performance were both heartening – but would mean little unless the Grenadières, as the team are known, can perform to the same level when they take on China on Friday.
“We were very happy after the England game because we received a lot of compliments from other countries,” said the experienced Frenchman, whose players now need a result against China to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout phase alive.
“But the message I want to say is that it will only count if we face China in the same way,” he added. “We have to be credible and show the world the work we have put in and perform at the best level possible.”
Battling adversity
While many teams in women’s football fight for recognition and resources, the Haitians have had to overcome the additional challenges that have afflicted the Caribbean nation.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country and for years has been mired in a vicious cycle of political, humanitarian, economic and health crises, exacerbated by natural…
