Haitian national team attends Flamengo vs. Corinthians match at Engenhão stadium.
Players were invited by the Flamengo board to attend Wednesday's match.
By From the official website team - inThe euphoria on the bus on the way to Engenhão contrasts sharply with the sadness that marked the beginning of the year, when a magnitude 7 earthquake that shocked the world brought much of the country to its knees. Hope overcame fear, and today the Haitian national football team is fulfilling a dream: watching the classic match between Corinthians and Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. In the clash between the two biggest fan bases in Brazilian football, 25 athletes were special guests in the stands of the João Havelange Olympic Stadium.
\In Rio to play a series of friendly matches, the Haitian national team departs this Thursday for Trinidad and Tobago, where they will begin their participation in the Caribbean Cup, which serves as a kind of pre-qualifier for the 2014 World Cup. If they advance from the tournament, they will earn the right to play in the Gold Cup, which decides which CONCACAF representatives will be at the World Cup. Dreaming of returning to the country in four years, the players were amazed by the city and the stadium.
\After the earthquake earlier this year, the national team suffered from a lack of training facilities. All the country's fields were destroyed in the disaster, and they had to look for temporary solutions: they went to Miami and then to Rio, where they trained at CEFAM (Navy Physical Education Center). With a slogan of rescuing culture through football, the Haitians envision a better future through the sport. An initiative fully supported by Flamengo.
\"We are aware of everything the people of Haiti have gone through and, for sure, we welcome them with open arms, as well as any representatives from other countries who are willing to participate in this exchange. We understand the greatness of Flamengo, what it represents, and it's always good to be able to participate in projects of this kind," explained the club's director of institutional relations, Carlos Augusto.
\The Haitian national team defeated Duque de Caxias 1-0 and Artsul 2-1, in addition to drawing 1-1 with a military team and losing 1-0 to Sendas. In the Caribbean Cup, they will face French Guiana, Saint Vincent and Grenada, and the host team, Trinidad and Tobago.
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