Sport
Haiti’s World Cup Debut Against All Odds ‘More Than Just Football’
When Haiti play England in Brisbane on their Women’s World Cup debut this month it will mark the culmination of a long and arduous journey against adversity.
While many teams in women’s football fight for recognition and resources, the Haitians have had to overcome the additional challenges that have afflicted the Caribbean nation.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country and for years been mired in a vicious cycle of chronic political, humanitarian, economic and health crises.
Add in brutal gang violence, and the United Nations’ top human rights official earlier this year described Haiti’s multiple problems as a “living nightmare”.
Against such a backdrop, the team were forced to hold their training camps and home games in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
And yet, amidst all this, Haiti beat Chile in a playoff in New Zealand in February to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
“We just put our head down and worked and tried not to worry about all the outside factors,” midfielder Milan Pierre-Jerome told the Miami Herald.
“Yes it’s been more difficult for us compared to teams in other countries, but knowing that no matter the circumstances, no matter what challenges we face, we still have 11 players on the field, one soccer ball and we all play with cleats.
“That’s what held us together.”
Haiti are in Group D at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand alongside China, Denmark and European champions England.
They face England in their opener on July 22.
‘Special Dumornay’
The nucleus of the team emerged in 2018, when Haiti qualified for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, their first global FIFA tournament of any kind.
Nine of that youth team were part of the squad which beat Chile, including midfielder Danielle Etienne, who is well aware of the positive impact that the team has had on her country.
“It just shows how far we’ve come as a nation and as a team. It means so much to us. This is a breath of fresh air to brighten the country,” she said.
“It’s more than just football — it’s making strides in football, but also helping lift our country during such a hard time,” she added.
The squad that secured qualification included seven players under the age of 20, including the fulcrum of the team, Melchie Dumornay.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder scored both goals in the win against Chile and is a rising star of women’s football.
After impressing with Reims in the past two seasons, she signed for Lyon, the 16-times French champions and record eight-times Champions League winners.
Haiti are ranked 53rd in the world and will not be expected to get out of the group, but they are not ready to settle for just being at the World Cup.
“We’re not the same Haiti we used to be years ago, where teams were not fearing us. Now we’re stepping on the field and people are giving us more respect because they see how far we’ve come,” said Etienne.
“We were able to make history one time and make history again, and I just hope that we continue to do that and become genuine World Cup competitors,” she added.
If Haiti are to provide an upset it is likely to be Dumornay who provides the spark.
“Melchie is the star,” said centre-half Jennyfer Limage.
“You can’t compare Melchie with any other player. She’s special”.
AFP
Recently, Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal has once again found himself embroiled in off-field controversy. Just days after the defeat in the Clásico, on Monday local time last week, he was photographed travelling to Milan with several friends.
According to renowned paparazzo Jordi Martín, Yamal attended a party with a prominent Italian model during his trip and spent the night with her – a woman who is not his current girlfriend. Rumours suggest Yamal had previously shared an ambiguous relationship with this model before he began dating his current partner.
During his stay in Milan, Yamal attended a party with a prominent model who was not his current girlfriend Nicki Nicole. It is understood that this model, Anna Gegnoso, is Italian and rumoured to have had a prior romantic connection with Yamal before his relationship with Nicki Nicole began.
According to the photographer, Yamal first attended the party with Anna that evening before the pair spent the night together at Milan’s Armani Hotel – an incident that would undoubtedly displease Nicki Nicole should it prove true. Furthermore, Yamal and his accompanying friends deliberately obstructed media personnel from capturing photographs and footage at the scene.
Jordi Martin further disclosed that this behaviour has provoked considerable displeasure among Barcelona’s club hierarchy. They have grown weary of Yamal’s lifestyle. Several weeks prior, whilst injured, he flew to Croatia for a holiday with Nicki Nicole, publicly sharing photos of their trip on social media – an act that already drew criticism.
This latest incident – reportedly flying to Milan for revelry within hours of the Clásico defeat – has only exacerbated the situation. Particularly given his lacklustre performance against Real Madrid, he now finds himself dominating headlines for off-field reasons.
These successive off-field incidents, coupled with his earlier controversial remarks about Real Madrid at an event, have increasingly raised concerns within Barcelona’s ranks. Club officials fear he is becoming increasingly overwhelmed by this “noise,” drifting away from his core focus on football
According to the statistics in 2025/10/13, here are the top 7 players who miss most of the penalty.
Ranking of the number of missed penalties:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Missed 34 penalties, a total of 211 penalties taken, penalty kick success rate 83.8%
2. Lionel Messi: Missed 32 penalties, a total of 145 penalties taken, penalty kick success rate 77.9%
3. Neymar: Missed 22 times, a total of 113 penalties, penalty kick success rate 80.5%
4. Francesco Totti: Missed 20 times, a total of 106 main penalties, penalty kick success rate 81.1%
5. Ciro Immobile: Missed 19 penalties, a total of 105 penalty kicks taken, penalty kick success rate 81.9%
6. Zlatan Ibrahimović: Missed 17 penalties, a total of 104 penalty kicks taken, penalty kick success rate 83.6%
7. Ronaldinho: Missed 16 penalties, a total of 85 penalty kicks taken, penalty kick success rate 81.1%
Note: This data does not include penalty kicks missed in penalty shootouts
Wilshere will take charge of the Sky Bet Championship club following the sacking of Johannes Hoff Thorup.
Thorup’s number two, Glen Riddersholm has also left Carrow Road on Tuesday.
Wilshere, who was part of the coaching crew under Thorup will be assisted by Tony Roberts and Nick Stanley.
Norwich City have two games left in their Championship campaign.
Sporting director Ben Knapper said: “Whilst we made this appointment with a long-term focus and in line with our wider club strategy and direction, unfortunately recent results and performances have deemed it necessary for us make a change.
“I’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to Johannes and Glen. They are both fantastic people who worked tirelessly to help improve and move our football club forward.
“We all wish the two of them the best in the next stage of their respective careers.
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