Overview:
The Dominican Republic has banned Haiti’s national football team from playing in Dominican sports facilities following crowd trouble before a Concacaf Nations League match in Santo Domingo. Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz announced the measure, and President Luis Abinader later said Cruz’s position represented the government’s position. The decision came one day after Haiti defeated the Dominican Republic 4-1. The match also drew controversy after Haitian striker Wilson Isidor was filmed saying, “Hispaniola is Haiti,” prompting criticism from Dominican football officials. Haiti’s embassy in Santo Domingo said the remark did not represent the Haitian government.
The Dominican Republic has barred Haiti’s national football team from playing at Dominican sports facilities following disturbances at a Concacaf Nations League match between the two countries.
Dominican Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz announced the decision Friday, one day after Haiti defeated the Dominican Republic 4-1 at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo. President Luis Abinader later backed Cruz’s announcement, saying the minister’s position represents the Dominican government’s position.
“Already, he spoke on behalf of the government and his position is the position of the government,” Abinader said when asked about the measure during a visit to the Dominican Republic’s book fair.
Cruz announced the ban after incidents at the stadium entrances before Thursday night’s match. Videos posted on social media showed groups of fans forcing their way through entrances, with one gate at the stadium damaged, according to Reuters.
“What we saw yesterday with a gate at the Felix Sanchez, a sports facility that has cost millions and millions of pesos to make it shine, is unacceptable,” Cruz said, according to Reuters. He said the Dominican government has a zero-tolerance policy toward indiscipline at its sports facilities.
The minister said Haitian fans should respect the rules and laws governing sports facilities in the country. Dominican newspaper Diario Libre reported that Cruz said the Ministry of Sports has regulations allowing it to take measures against conduct that damages sports facilities.
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The ban came about 24 hours after Haiti’s national team secured a decisive victory over the Dominican Republic. Wilson Isidor scored twice for Haiti, which moved to nine points in Group A of the Concacaf Nations League. The Dominican Republic remained on six points.
The match also generated controversy after Isidor was filmed saying, “Hispaniola is Haiti.”
José Deschamps, president of the Dominican Football Federation, called the remark disrespectful to Dominican sovereignty and said the federation would file a complaint with FIFA and Concacaf.
Haiti’s embassy in Santo Domingo said the comments did not represent the Haitian government. The embassy said the remarks were made in the intensity of the sporting event and called for sporting rivalries not to undermine relations between the two countries.
“Sporting rivalries must not call into question relations of good neighborliness and mutual respect that must prevail between the two states,” the embassy said in a statement.
The Haitian Football Federation did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the Dominican ban. In a statement following the match, the federation described the victory as “a beautiful night for Haiti” and said that competition should remain on the field while respect for neighbors should continue off it.
The decision could affect future matches between the neighboring countries because international competitions can require teams to host games in their own territory. Diario Libre reported that the restriction could affect Haiti’s ability to use Dominican facilities for matches in which it is designated as the home team.
The dispute comes amid longstanding tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola. Sport has previously been affected by political tensions between the two countries. In 2023, Haiti’s sports ministry ordered its football federation to stop staging national team matches in the Dominican Republic after Abinader closed the border during a dispute involving a canal project on the Massacre River.
For now, the Dominican government says Haitian national football teams will not be permitted to use Dominican sports facilities. The Haitian team is scheduled to face Costa Rica in San José on Sunday as the Concacaf Nations League continues.
