The Sad State of Soccer in Haiti

Two soccer games this week indicate the sad state of soccer in Haiti.

One was an adult game, and another was between two Christian schools here in Port-au-Prince.

Each Thursday night I join with about 24 men from the professional class in Haiti to play 6-a-side soccer. These men are all businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and artists, who are well known in Haiti. During the day they are dressed in suits and ties they are making important decisions; and even when they are under a lot of pressure, they have to act professionally.

But something happens when they put on shorts and a soccer jersey. They revert to when they were boys playing in their neighborhoods. They tease each other when they miss a shot, they make fun of how someone dribbles and they laugh at each other’s antics. They waste a lot of time arguing over hand balls, penalty shots, and blaming each other for letting the other team score a goal. And, I would say, take everything a little too seriously. You would think it was the World Cup the way they go at it!

Of course, teasing is viewed differently in different cultures and there is room for friendly teasing, but where do you draw the line?

During the last game, things got out of hand and a player and the goalie got into a fist fight (yes, two guys on the same team) when the goalie missed blocking an easy shot from mid-field. I was closest to them, and tried to break it up, but could not do it alone, so others came to help me. This stopped the play for the evening and we all went home disappointed that this had happened.

In another game this week, between two Christian schools, there were so many fouls committed that the lone referee could not control the game. He would have had to have called a foul every minute. They were literally wrapping their arms around the opposing player on corners and holding them so they could not move. They were tripping, and pulling jerseys, etc. – basically doing anything they could to get the advantage over another player – and these where supposedly students from Christian Schools!

In addition to the rough play on the field, there were flagrant violations of the tournament rules. For instance, the teams were supposed to be made up of players who were 18 or younger, but some were in their twenties. Then one of the teams had brought in two players who did not even go to their school! This is really sad because it is the coach’s responsibility to abide by the rules.

This game was part of a soccer tournament that was held at Quisqueya Christian School so after the game I got the organizers of the tournament together with the players and coaches to discuss the game and rule violations. First I asked anyone on the teams involved to raise their hands if they were over 18. Not a single one raised their hands, even though we know there were several who were above that age. Then the one team cited the two players who did not attend the other school. This turned into a circus with each coach hurling accusations at the other, even after it became evident that one of the teams had used players that were not from their school. There was no remorse, only attempts to justify their actions, such as “You have sinned just as much as we did”, etc.

The saddest part is that these are Christian Schools, and all of this arguing happened in front of the players. What example did this set for these young men?
Although this is not what we always see, it is unfortunately very common. And, judging from the World Cup games, Haiti is not the only country where this occurs. Americans can be found fighting, at least verbally over peewee soccer games. And I also, at times, lose my temper…..

What do these two stories tell us about soccer in Haiti? Do anything you can to win! All’s fair in love and soccer! Winning is everything!

This is so ingrained in the psyche of the Haitian soccer player that even when they are older and just playing a “friendly” match, they still argue, foul and even end up in fist-fights. Proverbs 22:6 says “Teach a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.” Unfortunately, this goes for negative behavior as well as positive behavior! It’s so important for us teach and model good character from a young age.

This attitude is also seen in business in Haiti where competitors are sometimes threatened of killed, or their stores robbed or destroyed. Sports often reflect a microcosm of society at large. (This is the theory of the bestseller “How Soccer Explains the World”)

So as you can see, Ambassadors in Sport – Haiti needs to not only teach soccer skills in Haiti, but also change the way Haitians view the game and life…that Christianity is not about how you act on Sunday morning, a major part of it is about how you treat everyone every day. And children need to learn that how you treat others should not depend so much on how they treat you as it does on how God treats you. This amounts to changing the culture, which is impossible without God’s help. That is why our job is so important here in Haiti, and why we need to start with younger players and teach them “Fair Play” and to play by the rules.

It is also a reason why we need to train more soccer officials and work with Christian schools that ought to be an example of fair play.

Finally, it is the reason we include Biblical instruction in our program – because without the Bible as a standard, everything is relative, and rules don’t mean anything.

So please pray for us – we’re not only trying to use soccer as a tool for evangelism in this country, but actually change the way it is played through God changing the hearts of the players!