Caribbean Football - Facts and figures interesting!

Cuba

Did you know-With the help of the Soviet Olympic Committee, the men's soccer team of Cuba competed in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Football Tournament. It was the second time that Cuba had qualified for an Olympic event. Four years ago, the Island received an invitation to play in the Olympiad in Canada; for financial reasons, Uruguay did not compete in the Olympics and was replaced by Cuba.

Haiti

Did you know-At the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, USA, the men's soccer squad of Haiti came in fourth place, behind Argentina (champion), Brazil (runner-up), and the host country. Later on, by the 1970s, Haiti boasted one of the best teams in Latin America, in contrast to the rest of the Caribbean: Following winning the CONCACAF Tournament, the men's soccer team of Haiti qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany. For the first time since its creation in 1930, Haiti competed in the global event. Its qualification for the global event was a logical consequence of its hard work and discipline. Throughout those years, some Haitian footballers played in foreign teams. Football is the most popular sport on the Island.

Jamaica

Did you know-After many years of hard work, discipline and preparation, Jamaica, a cricketing nation, won the right to participate in the global event in Paris (France) in the late 1990s.In the course of the tournament, Japan lost 2 -1 to Jamaica. It was the first time in the Island's history that the national delegation had competed in the World Cup. In 1986 and 1990, Jamaican-born English player John Barnes participated in the universal event. By 1991, the country's national team finished eighth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, behind the United States, Honduras. Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad Tobago, Canada, and Guatemala. In the next century, the national team was runner up (silver medal) at the 15th Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), behind only Ecuador.

Netherlands Antilles

Did you know-By the early 1950s, the Netherlands Antilles-a baseball-loving Island-won the Football Tournament at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Guatemala City. Later on, it captured its second gold medal at the 1962 Caribbean Games in Kingston, Jamaica.

Trinidad & Tobago

Did you know-By the 1970s, Trinidad & Tobago was home to Everald "Gally" Cummings, one of the most popular footballers in the Caribbean. In the next century, the Island-where cricket is the predominant sport-qualified for the World Cup in Germany. In that time, English-born Christopher Birchall became the first white player to play for Trinidad Tobago. By 2001, the Under-17 World Cup was held in Ports Spain, the capital city of the nation.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles / essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans"