The Belize national squad has been held up by armed insurgents upon their arrival in Haiti for a World Cup 2022 qualifier.
The team bus was accosted by armed men on the journey between the airport and the team's hotel, ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Port-au-Prince.
Tak kadrowicze Belize zostali „przywitani” na Haiti.
Na drodze do hotelu autokar został zatrzymany przez dużą grupę uzbrojonych mężczyzn. Czterech policjantów w eskorcie musiało negocjować z nimi dalszy przejazd.
O sytuacji powiadomiono już FIFA i CONCACAF.#CONCACAFpl pic.twitter.com/6b2NodQjXZ— Michał Matlak (@matlak_michal) March 22, 2021
Belize
The Football Federation of Belize took to their Facebook page to make public their 'disappointment and disgust' at the scenes in the Hatian capital.
"The Football Federation of Belize takes this time to express its disappointment and disgust at an unfortunate incident faced by the Jaguars as the team was headed from the airport to the hotel this morning in Haiti," the statement said.
"Despite the four-man police escort, the team bus was stopped by an uproar of insurgents with assault rifles on motorcycles and police escorts were forced to negotiate for the team bus to continue its journey to the hotel.
"The situation is one that the team should never have faced but we are pleased to report that our Jaguars, although shaken by the terrible experience, are safely at their hotel.
"We take this opportunity to thank the Jaguars for their bravery and inform their families that the safety of our team is our top priority. We are currently in contact with the relevant authorities from FIFA and Concacaf and are doing everything possible to get them to safer grounds. It is unfortunate that our Jaguars faced such a traumatic experience."
The team's co-captain, Deon McCauley, expressed his relief at the situation being brought to a peaceful conclusion.
"I am happy everyone is safe and I commend you guys for being brave. It was a moment of intense fear. Let's continue to stick together and please make the best decisions when it comes to the team."
Download the brand new OTB Sports App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to Off The Ball's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
