The U.S. government has granted a visa to Woodensky Pierre, the only member of Haiti's national football team who lives in the Caribbean country.
He finally left Port-au-Prince for Florida in the United States, joining his teammates who have been there since last week, in order to fine-tune their preparations for the World Cup.
At the airport in the Haitian capital, fans had eyes only for him.
Seeing this young player from the national league, I’m so proud of a young Haitian who’s going to participate in the World Cup. We’ve put in so much effort for him, you understand? I was stressed for him. I thought he’d be frustrated knowing he wouldn’t be able to play. It would have ruined his memories (in hindsight). He’s a young man who’s progressing well, that’s why I was frustrated. He should have already left,” said Jean Baptism, a supporter of Woodensky Pierre.
Pierre was training with local players in an upscale neighborhood of Port-au-Prince while waiting for his visa.
Haiti will play its final World Cup warm-up match against Peru on Friday. The Caribbean nation will begin its World Cup campaign on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against Scotland, then face five-time world champions Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia, and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
