Dominica’s Senior Men’s National Football Team was not greeted by a welcoming crowd when they took on Guatemala in a FIFA Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday night.
Media officer at the Dominica Football Association (DFA), Garvin Richards who accompanied the team to Guatemala for the match, said it was something he didn’t want to experience again.
“We didn’t lose to 11 guys on the field…,” he wrote on his Facebook page in relating the incident. “We were beaten by the entire nation of Guatemala. The hostile environment we were greeted with on the streets outside the stadium alone was an experience I don’t ever want to experience again.”
He said the team drove through a mob of Guatemalan supporters who tossed objects, firecrackers, and flares at their bus while rocking it.
“Then you are being heckled and jeered by thousands more in the stadium,” he wrote.
He went on to say that some of the things that were said to the Dominican team, he could not repeat because he would be banned from Facebook.
“The Guatemala team were superior to us on the ball, I think we all knew that heading into the game…,” Richards also wrote. “But that atmosphere from the crowd was scary.”
This followed travel delays which marred the team on their way to Guatemala earlier this week. The boys from the Nature Isle reportedly got stuck in Barbados for some time because they did not have visas to enter the Central American country.
Dominicans quickly pounced on the DFA on social media saying that its officials did not properly plan the trip. Many said the entire matter was an embarrassment for Dominica.
The visas were subsequently obtained and the DFA was forced to apologize.
“I just want to first of all apologize to the players, to the public, and the football fraternity,” Team Manager, Kurt Christmas, said.
President of the DFA, Glen Etienne also apologized while describing the matter as “an unpleasant situation” which “will never happen again.”
In the game against Guatemala, Dominica suffered a major defeat, with the final score standing at 6-0.
Despite their travel woes and discouraging reception by the Guatemalan public, football observers here have given the players a thumbs up in term of their performance in Guatemala.
The sentiments of some observers are captured in this comment by former FIFA referee, Carlisle Jno. Baptiste, “Given the situation that the Dominica had to go through, I felt that the team did very, very well. First 0f all, although a goal was scored in the first half, Dominica should have had at least two clear penalties. The replays are there to show that…Despite the trying situation, they did very well and kudos to the coach and management of the entire Dominica team.”
Dominica will now take on Jamaica in its next qualifier on Sunday here at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.
you think Guatemala is bad try to play in Mexico or any country in CONEMBOL 💀 stop tryna paint us as terrible people, a crop of 20k football fans doesn’t reflect a nation of 17 million. you lost fair n square. ggs, good luck in the rest of qualifiers.
lol. As a Guatemala fan. Cry more. If you think Guatemala is “hostile” you clearly haven’t been to Estadio Azteca in Mexico or how about any of the CONEMBOL teams (Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador) down south where you have hostile fans + high altitude. Makes Guatemalas environment look vanilla. How about 1. stop making excuses and get better 2. stop writing articles trying to paint Guatemala and its people as lunatics. The football fans doesn’t reflect an entire nation of 17 mil. people.
when you see dam in funerals, call dam traitors..when you see them on a plane called them traitors..when you see them in the super market call them traitor…what to call them,?……quotes of prime minister of dominica towards the opposition
Fire ALL the DFA Administrative Staff and Executive body. Them man just there for good looks and free paycheck. you cannot tell me the DFA cannot approach government to ensure that not just national footballers but all athletes have a proper gym and training facility on island for our athletes? in 2024? instead THIS is the kind of rubbish they prefer do for us instead? From Ducrey down! Disgraceful. That that looking like Dominica? Then again is majee alone that happening in that place. How you can tell me you travelling to a country to represent Dominica and you dont even know if you need a visa or not? who had to pay for their stay in Barbados? clearly they would lose because they didnt rest.
Guys God before you all always go on play play football in your very own The Commonwealth of Dominica and win to a crushing defeat Jamaica. let’s go DAJah always Bless us.
Dominicans should invest time and money in sports they can win and command respect on the world stage. All the hills, mountains, sun and rain we have in DA are perfect conditions for developing world class cycling champions. Invest in sports that play to our island’s strengths. Not our weakness. 6-0 is an embarrassment. If you can’t win the game..then change the game!
If you cant win the game change the game? Sounds like loser mentality if you ask me. if you cant win the game keep practicing and training. If you still cannot win find a new game.
It is a doggone dirty shame that FIFA has not found a way to stamp out the nasty, hostile and dangerous fan misbehaviour across Central America where football attendees have gone well below what can be considered decent behavior.
A former coach of the US U21 football team told me how he dreaded his teams playing on the road in those hostile environments where it used to be par for course for fans lining the lower stadium perimeters would often hurl urine and expletives at the visiting teams benches.
Good effort guys despite the scoreline. Enjoy the journey, if nothing else!!!
This is a sad situation for us and Sports in general. Sports is one of the avenues that is used to unite people and if this is the treatment out players have to face, Dominica National Footballers when you are at risk by Mobbs DONT PLAY! What does FIFA/CONCACAF governing body has to say about what happened? We need an apology and measures to ensure no one had to go through this type of treatment.
What happen you all were waiting for them to put down the red carpet, thats a competition these countries take their sport very seriouly . They have places to train ,where in dominica you have a good field for training, the stadium, a place where you keep more sewo than sports, man think again, the crowd was the problem, another excuse.
but isn’t Dominica prime minister the world boss?
People like Allu so, accept any sh… Accepting any nonsense and blame your brothers and fellowmen. Racism exists not only among the whites, but everybody also thinks they better than black.
The prime minister should come out and condemn this behavior, remember Dominican republic with the Haitians.
Stay woke my people! My black people
I won’t be surprised that the Guatemalan government was that petty to delay the issuing of visas to the boys. what possible reason would there be for such a delay, that crap goes on in Africa all the time.
Absolutely. It’s called off-field pranks, shenanigans and dirty tricks aimed at psychologically frustrating, handicapping and stressing the visiting teams before they even take the field. I call it cheating and sabotage, period!!!
What did you expect? Red carpet? You’re not playing against your Caribbean brother nations that are basically on your same mediocre level. You know we can’t beat those teams, just stay in your half and park the bus nah, take a 2-0 loss. It’s always 5-0 and above. Embarrassing the nation.
are you serious??
you can’t be that self absorbed, ignorant and foolish.
So what about security of the players? Going forward if Dominica has to return to this country, many things must first be put in place. What would have happened to our players if they (i mean Dominica) had won?
Does Dominuca have issues with Guatemala? Our foreign affairs must not remain silent on this matter.
The people of South and Central America consider football as a religion. Their chants against opponents of their national football team are racist, vulgar, intimidating and extremely hostile.
These are the same people who illegally cross the borders of the USA and want to be welcomed with open arms.
I have a question. Where were the Guatemalan security forces to prevent the visiting team from being subjected to such nastiness.
The forces were present most likely . heckling, jeering and harrassment is part of international sports culture on a whole. the forces wont get involved unless it turns violent
WHOA Ibo France gettind red pilled on the reality of race relations in 2024. Shocking! I mean I could have told you years ago that this idea that only white people can be racist is BS but that’s what a lot of you believed. So in your minds the U.S.A. is wrong to police its borders but these same countries where the illegal aliens come from make it extremely difficult for any foreigner to enter THEIR country. Also latin americans are VERY racist against black people. Most black people don’t even know that in Mexico “black” wasn’t recognized as an ethnicity until somewhere like 2017.
A strong worded letter should come from the Minister for sports to his/her counterpart in Guatemala. This is unacceptable. What makes it worse is that Guatemala knows that it is superior to Dominica in football yet it behaves in this uncivil and unsportsmanlike behavior.
A letter of complaint should be forwarded to FIFA with dispatch. No home matches should be awarded to these countries that display such obscene behaviour toward their foreign counterparts.
This is a matter for FIFA. Guatemala must face serious sanctions.