For Boston council member Ruthzee Louijeune, Haiti’s return to the World Cup is a continuation of what’s been a two-month celebration in the city for the Caribbean nation.
The Associated Press reports that Haiti’s group match against Scotland on Saturday marked its second-ever appearance in the sport’s biggest tournament, more than 50 years after its first one in 1974. But it also represented the latest bonding moment for Boston’s Haitian community in light of the ongoing ban on the country’s citizens entering the US and the pending Supreme Court case centred on the American government’s attempt to end the temporary protection status for those who arrived in the US following the 2010 earthquake.
A decision in the case is expected soon.
“This moment holds incredible weight, incredible history and incredible pride for the Haitian diasporas,” said Loijeune, Boston’s first Haitian-American councillor and former council president, in an interview with The Associated Press.
According to the US Census Bureau, about 4% of Boston’s approximately 670,000 citizens are Haitians. That gives Massachusetts’ largest city the second-largest per capita Haitian population in the country. About 45,000 Massachusetts residents are here under temporary protective status, the third-largest Haitian group in the country.
Political strife in Haiti also affected the national soccer squad’s road to make the 48-team tournament.
For the first time in 52 years, Haiti played none of its qualifying matches on its home soil because of internal political instability. It won its final World Cup qualifying match 2-0 against Nicaragua on Nov. 18. That date coincided with the anniversary of Haiti’s victory over France in the final battle of the \haitian Revolution in 1803.
“It is a story of tremendous depth for the Haitian community, and we’re so proud that they’re playing their first match here in Boston,” Louijeune said.
The spirit and pride were on display in and outside Gillette Stadium before the match against Scotland with fans draped in the team’s blue, red and white.
