Two very distant and distinct countries unite under the banner of football for a historic international friendly which is sure to capture the attention of the football world.
Two very distant and distinct countries unite under the banner of football for a historic international friendly which is sure to capture the attention of the football world.
The French speaking Caribbean nation of Haiti will take on Kosovo in the first international friendly football match to be played in the Balkan territory on March 5th in Mitrovica, 24 miles north of the capital Pristinaon.
This territory of the former Yugoslavia, is on a quest to become an affiliate of FIFA and are hopeful that this game against Haiti and hopefully more to follow, will make their push for membership a successful one.
Although it unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by 13 of 28 European Union member states and 108 members of the United Nations, Kosovo remains officially unrecognized as a sovereign nation.
Without United Nations membership, Kosovo is unable to join either UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, or FIFA, the sport’s international governing body. Players with Kosovar heritage have ended up playing for some of Europe’s top national teams, and in many cases thriving.
Haiti is no stranger to treading on new ground, as in 2013 the French nation went toe to toe with European powerhouses Italy and Spain, making the world take notice of their prosperity through adversity by the power of sport; in this case football.
The Grenadiers fought back for a 2-2 draw with Italy last June and just weeks later were narrowly outplayed in a 2-1 defeat to world number one ranked and defending World Cup Champions Spain.
This match for the Grenadiers will be the first under the direction of the new national coach, the French Marc Collat, who took over the National Team in January of this year.
According to the last FIFA world rankings, published Thursday, February 13, the Grenadiers, still occupy the 79th place in the rankings (February 2014) and the 8th position of the Confederation of Nations North American, Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF).
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