Cuban baseball team finds outrage and support in Miami

MIAMI (AP) – Jose Vilela fled Cuba to the United States when he was 14 years old after spending six months in an internment camp. Like many of his compatriots, he settled in Miami’s Cuban neighborhood, Little Havana.

Velela, 68, was walking Sunday afternoon outside Ewan Depot, Miami Marlins home stadium, where the Cuban baseball team later lost 14-2 to the United States in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic.

For the proud newcomers who wanted to separate sports from politics, the national team’s debut game in Miami was cause for celebration.

But for Villa and hundreds of others, it was a reason to protest the political repression they were fleeing.

Outside the stadium on Sunday, Vilela loudly demanded that anyone associated with the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who embraced Soviet-style communism, leave the community. This included many players who are technically government employees.

Three protesters were escorted off the field after they jumped onto the pitch during the match.

In the sixth inning, a protester waved a flag that read “Freedom for Cuban Prisoners July 11th,” a reference to the day thousands of Cubans took to the streets on the island in 2021 to protest shortages, power outages and economic hardship. . Hundreds of people who participated in prison. On Saturday, the crowd chanted “Freedom!” The protester also left the square.

Joseph Gonzalez was born in Cuba and wore an orange and green jersey for the late Marlins player Jose Fernandez, who was born in Cuba and died in a boating accident in 2016. Gonzalez said he expected the game to be tense, but encouraged it. to Cuba.

Al-Mojib expressed his love for the United States, which granted him political asylum, but stressed that his land is his land, regardless of who rules.

Fans’ reactions to the match were mixed. Some repeated “Freedom!” Others celebrated the Cuban team’s runs in the first and fifth halves. “USA” choruses were often heard.

Players and coaches tried to focus on sports. In statements after the match, the Cuban coach, Armando Johnson, said that the team did not pay attention to the protesters, and that he did not judge those who protested, but rather went there to play.

Football in general is the most popular sport in Latin America, but in Cuba baseball is the most popular sport.

The island has a rich history of stardom and sporting success. The Cuban team won Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996, and 2004, but the massive defections of its players made it difficult for it to remain competitive on the international stage. The Cuban baseball team failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The island’s elite athletes receive a government stipend to train and compete, but Cuba has banned professional sports on the island since the Cuban Revolution 60 years ago.

Ramon Sol Sanchez, organizer of Sunday’s protests, said he had nothing against the players. Sanchez, 68, has been separated from his family since arriving in Little Havana 55 years ago.

He noted that although everyone wanted to support the Cuban national team, the situation was complicated because the American team was also playing and the hearts of many were divided between the two countries. However, he noted that everyone knows that behind that game is not only sports, but also a lot of politics.