Overview:
Haiti’s indoor soccer team finished last in the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship’s Group A, after going winless in three games. As a result, it failed to book a ticket for this Summer’s FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will take place in Uzbekistan.
CAP-HAITIEN—Haiti’s indoor soccer team failed to advance from Concacaf group stage qualifiers on Monday and will miss out on playing in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the third straight time after going winless in three games. The premature exit from the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship competition is paramount to Les Grenadiers‘ low-scoring performance.
Haiti’s futsal team will be absent in Uzbekistan for this summer’s World Cup. It was outscored 21-7 in the competition, finishing last in Group A with zero points. Les Grenadiers scored the fewest goals in the competition and were the only team that failed to score a goal in their third game on Monday, losing to Suriname 4-0.
Futsal is typically characterized by its free-flowing gameplay. However, in the 2021 Concacaf Futsal Championship, Haiti was also the only team that did not score in a match during a round of games, suffering a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica.
This year, Brhorhado Borgella was Les Grenadiers’ top scorer, tallying three goals.
Haiti started the competition with an 8-3 loss to three-time reigning champions Costa Rica on Saturday. According to Concacaf, the game was abandoned in the second half because Haiti could not have at least three players on the field due to many injuries. John Préval, Christo-fils Voltaire, and Brhorhado Borgella were on target for Haiti.
Les Grenadiers then lost to Mexico 9-4 despite having a 3-1 lead in the first half on Sunday. Borgella netted a brace, while Préval and Jean Schwetzer St Hubert each scored once.
Although Haiti needed to win its last match for a chance to advance from the group stage, it failed to score against Suriname on Monday, bowing down to its opponent in a 4-0 scoreline.
The 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup will be played in Uzbekistan and start on June 23. The top four teams of the Concacaf Championship will qualify for the competition.
Under the guidance of Greek coach Constantine Konstin, a pre-list of players was assembled, drawing talents from clubs in Haiti and abroad, including Montreal, Quebec and Martinique. The final team, comprising 14 players, competed against formidable opponents Mexico, Costa Rica and Suriname in Group A of the qualifiers held in Nicaragua from April 13 to 20.
The Haitian Association of Futsal did not respond to The Haitian Times’ interview requests despite multiple phone messages and calls.