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Promising Haitian U-17 soccer player flees training camp in Spain ahead of World Cup: Report
Haitian soccer player Djouny Théodore Jr. was with his national under-17 team in Spain when he decided to make a run for France, leaving his team behind.
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Djouny Théodore Jr., a 16-year-old Haitian soccer player, has left the national under-17 team of his country in Spain in an attempt to reach France, The Haitian Times reported. Théodore Jr. was part of the 25-man initial squad picked to represent Haiti in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will begin on November 3 in Qatar.
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Teenage Haitian soccer player flees team
The Haitian team was in Spain as part of its preparations for the tournament and had even played a practice match in the country on October 2. However, on October 18, Théodore Jr. slipped away from his team as they watched FC Barcelona take on Girona, The Haitian Times explained. The report added that he left his passport and other belongings behind. An audio message from him is circulating on social media.
“Going back to Haiti wouldn’t have been good for me,” the voice message says, as per the publication. “If I go back down there, I would say it’s a failure because it’s the same soccer I’m going to play again.”
The national under-17 team of Haiti has been in Girona, Spain, since September to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. They are scheduled to fly to Qatar on October 31. The team is required to whittle down the squad from 25 to 21 players. But with Théodore Jr. out, they have already lost one of their key performers.
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Runaway Haitian athletes
This is not the first time that sportspersons from Haiti have made a run for asylum in a foreign country by leaving their touring team behind.
In 2021, three players of the Arcahaie Football Club left their team in Mexico, which was there for the CONCACAF Champions League, and sought to settle outside their country.
In 2007, 13 players from the under-17 football team escaped from the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York during a stopover en route to South Korea.
So, Djouny Théodore Jr. is not the first to take this drastic step. The Haitian Times said that the teenager has family members in France and may have been helped by his uncle to escape. However, with proper documents left behind and his runaway status getting publicized, the French authorities may take a dim view of the matter.
FAQs
Who is Djouny Théodore Jr.?
Théodore Jr. is a key member of the Haitian national under-17 soccer team that is set to participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar next month.
When did Théodore Jr. escape?
Théodore Jr. gave his team a slip while they were watching a soccer match between Barcelona and Girona on October 18.
When does the FIFA U-17 World Cup start?
The tournament begins on November 3 in Qatar.
