Dominican Republic bans Haiti from its stadiums after Nations League clash

Santo Domingo, October 2 - The Dominican Republic on Friday suspended Haiti's national soccer team from playing at its stadiums following crowd disturbances at a Concacaf Nations League match between the two neighboring Caribbean nations. Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz announced the prohibition after episodes prior to the game on Thursday evening at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo.

Footage on social media depicted groups of supporters pressing against entrances, with one gate being damaged. Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz condemned the behavior, emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on misconduct, stating that what was witnessed yesterday at the Felix Sanchez, a stadium that has undergone significant investment, was intolerable.

The Haitian Football Federation has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the ban. Haitian Football Federation President Jose Deschamps dismissed Isidor's comments, accusing them of a lack of regard for national sovereignty and asserting that the federation would lodge a grievance with FIFA and Concacaf. The two sports regulatory bodies have yet to offer comments.

Haiti's embassy in Santo Domingo asserted that Isidor's remarks, made amid the thrill of competition and the intensity inherent in sporting events, do not represent the stance of the Haitian government, and thanked Dominican authorities for the event. Sporting rivalries should not jeopardize the enduring relationships of goodwill and respect that should prevail between the two nations, according to the embassy's statement.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic have had strained diplomatic ties for a long time. During its tenure, President Luis Abinader's government has intensified deportations of undocumented Haitians, beginning in 2024 with a pledge to deport up to 10,000 individuals daily. Sports have previously been entangled in the nations' disagreements.

In 2023, after Abinader closed the border due to a dispute over a Haitian canal along the shared Massacre River, Haiti's sports ministry directed its national team federation to refrain from hosting matches in the Dominican Republic.