Gold Cup News: Visa Issues, Defection Hit Cuba
With their CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C opener against Mexico at Soldier Field in Chicago just hours away, the Cuban camp has been rocked by the news that visa issues have prevented not only 6 of their players from entering the country, but will also mean that head coach Raul Gonzalez will be absent from the sidelines at tonight’s game.
Assistant head coach Walter Benitez will be in charge of the team for the game, and will have a short bench available to him, as Cuba will only have 16 players dressed.
“We’re missing six members of the squad and the coach who, because of visa issues, have not been able to arrive (yet) and now we have only 16 players because one has gone absent (and) we don’t know where he is.
Nevertheless we’re working with a lot of dignity and we’re going to give our best against Mexico. It’s been very difficult.
The lad who went away was a first-choice player but we’ll manage. We came to play a tournament and we’re going to play it, the rest is personal decisions.”
The missing player has been confirmed as 25-year old striker Keiler Garcia, a recent call-up to the national team who had been playing his club soccer for FC Camagüey in the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba, the country’s top league.
Garcia’s defection marks the 10th time Cuban players have deserted the national team while on duty in Canada or the US. Seattle Sounders player Osvaldo Alonso defected in 2007 when he was in Houston, Texas with the national team, and in 2008, 7 players in Tampa, Florida for the Olympic Qualifying tournament defected, including current Real Salt Lake midfielder Yordany Álvarez. In total, 22 players have defected since 1999.
The 6 players who were unable to gain entry in time and head coach Gonzalez are scheduled to arrive after tonight’s game, and will be available for Sunday’s game against Trinidad and Tobago.