- The
Belize men's nationalsoccer team bus was held up by an armed gang in Haiti. - The gang, believed to consist of police members, pulled the bus over but left after negotiations.
- The team made it to its hotel safely.
The Belize men's national soccer team bus was stopped by an armed gang in Haiti on Monday ahead of a World Cup qualifier.
According to a report from Breaking Belize News, the bus was believed to have been stopped by a gang called Fantom 509 consisting of rebel police members. Haiti is in the midst of a political and economic crisis and has been in a state of emergency since March 18, according to Al Jazeera.
The bus was being escorted by four police officers when members of the armed gang rode up on motorcycles, carrying assault rifles and wearing masks. The bus pulled over, and the police escort reportedly negotiated with the gang. No one was hurt in the incident.
"Despite the four-man police escort, the team bus was stopped by an uproar of insurgents with assault rifles on motorcycles and police escorts were forced to negotiate with them for the team bus to continue its journey to the hotel," the Football Federation of Belize said in a statement. "We are pleased to report that our 'Jaguars,' although shaken by the terrible experience, are safely at their hotel."
Haitian journalist Onz Cherry tweeted a photo of the gang, shared by the FFB.
-Onz Chery (@Onz_11) March 23, 2021
Video of the incident can also be seen on TMZ.
The FFB said in its statement that the organization was in contact with FIFA and CONCACAF to get the team to "safer grounds."
"It was a moment of intense fear," Belize's co-captain Deon McCauley said in the statement released by the FFB. He added that he commended the team for being "brave."
The team is scheduled to play Haiti on Thursday in part of the first round of CONCACAF games for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.