Overview:
A Dominican Republic ban on Haiti’s national soccer team— imposed after its 4-1 Nations League victory—was narrowed within days, with Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz clarifying that Haiti may play in the Dominican Republic as a visiting team, but is not allowed to use Dominican facilities for home matches. The reversal followed a series of controversies surrounding the game, including Haitian striker Wilson Isidor’s post-match remark that “Hispaniola is Haiti,” complaints about Haitian fans damaging a stadium entrance and a Dominican football federation complaint to FIFA and Concacaf. The episode has revived longstanding tensions over sovereignty, migration, race and the shared history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic has retracted a ban imposed on Haiti’s national soccer team, allowing the team to continue playing in the country as a visitor but barring it from using Dominican facilities as a host nation.
The clarification came Saturday, a day after Dominican Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz announced a broader prohibition, saying Haiti would no longer be allowed to play in Dominican sports facilities. The prohibition followed incidents involving Haitian fans allegedly breaking a gate to enter the game, in which Haiti won 4-1 over the Dominican Republic on Oct. 1. Cruz later said the restriction applies to matches in which Haiti is designated as the home team, according to Dominican media reports.
The reversal came as tensions surrounding the Oct. 1 Concacaf Nations League match between the two national teams continued to spread beyond soccer. What began with a lopsided Haitian win and a euphoric celebration by star striker Wilson Isidor has become another flashpoint in the long and complicated relationship between the two countries that share the island.
Isidor, who scored twice in Haiti’s victory at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, was filmed shouting, “Hispaniola, c’est Haïti! Ici, c’est Haïti!” — French for “Hispaniola is Haiti. This is Haiti”— while pointing toward the ground and his Haitian jersey.
The Isidor celebration statement drew criticism from Haiti’s neighbors, where some officials and commentators interpreted the words as an offense to Dominican sovereignty, but the Haitian Football Federation and fans defended Isidor, describing the statement as an expression of pride.
The statement came in the heat of a major victory and fits a familiar tradition of football celebrations, where players and supporters use short slogans to assert identity and belonging. Paris Saint-Germain supporters, for example, have long used “Ici, c’est Paris” — “This is Paris” — to express the team’s identity and pride after victories, regardless of match venues. Similar territorial language is common in football culture around major clubs and national teams.
For one, veteran Haitian sports analyst and former Sen. Patrice Dumont, who has spent decades examining football’s role in Haitian identity and national pride, said Dominican authorities misinterpreted Isidor’s declaration.
“Isidor’s declaration of Haitian pride can be seen as a threat to the Dominican Republic’s sovereignty,” Dumont said, adding that the Dominicans may even face Concacaf and FIFA sanctions for the chaos surrounding the match.
“FIFA’s Article 17 on competitions clearly places responsibility for order and security before, during, and after matches on host countries,” he clarified, alluding to incidents around the stadium, including tear gas on Haitian supporters celebrating peacefully, inside the stadium’s protocol chaos, and a lack of control and security at the facility entrance.
Others argued that, in this case, the phrase carried a different weight because it invoked an entire island shared by two sovereign states with a history marked by racial, political, economic and migration-related tensions.
But for many fans, such expressions are part of the sport’s emotional theater —particularly after a major victory over a rival.
Dominican officials and some commentators interpreted Isidor’s words not as a conventional sports celebration but as a challenge to Dominican sovereignty.
José Deschamps, president of the Dominican Football Federation (FDF), condemned the remarks as disrespectful to Dominican sovereignty and said the FDF subsequently filed a complaint with FIFA and Concacaf.
A Concacaf spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the incident.
The Haitian Football Federation (FHF) defended Isidor, describing his remarks as an expression of attachment to his Haitian roots rather than hostility toward the Dominican people or government.
“Sporting rivalry, however intense, must never make us lose sight of the mutual respect that should unite players, fans, and nations,” the federation said.
Haiti’s embassy in Santo Domingo also distanced the government from the players’ statements, reaffirming Haiti’s respect for Dominican sovereignty and territorial integrity while describing the comments as expressions made in the intensity of a sporting event.
The distinction matters because the controversy has quickly moved from the soccer field into bilateral relations.
The Isidor controversy was accompanied by a separate dispute involving Haitian fans outside the stadium.
Before the Oct. 1 match, large crowds gathered at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, and video circulated showing fans forcing their way through an entrance. Dominican authorities said a stadium gate was damaged. Cruz cited the incident when he announced the initial ban, saying his ministry would not tolerate damage to Dominican sports facilities.
Dominican President Luis Abinader initially backed Cruz’s announcement, saying the sports minister’s position reflected the government’s.
History makes the words heavier
The timing of Isidor’s celebration added another layer of sensitivity.
The match was played one day before the 89th anniversary of the 1937 massacre in which Dominican forces killed thousands of Haitians and people of Haitian descent along the countries’ shared border. The anniversary remains one of the most painful chapters in Haiti-Dominican relations.
One Haitian supporter at the match displayed a sign commemorating those killed on Oct. 2, 1937, connecting the game to the historical memory of Haitians on the island.
That history has continued to shape relations between the two countries. More recently, disputes over migration, deportations, border security and the construction of a canal along the Massacre River have repeatedly strained bilateral ties.
In 2023, after the Dominican government closed its border with Haiti amid a dispute over the canal project, Haiti’s sports authorities ordered the Haitian Football Federation to stop organizing national-team matches in the Dominican Republic.
The current controversy therefore comes against a backdrop in which sport has repeatedly become entangled with diplomatic and political disputes.
Former Haitian consul general Judith Exavier has called for disciplinary action against Isidor. Exavier, who previously served as Haiti’s consul general in Santiago, Dominican Republic, asked the Haitian Football Federation and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action to temporarily suspend the striker.
In a statement circulated by Haitian media, Exavier argued that Isidor’s remarks disrespected Dominican sovereignty and did not represent the Haitian people. She also said national-team players have responsibilities that extend beyond the soccer field, particularly given the tensions affecting Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.
No FIFA or CONCACAF disciplinary ruling has established that Isidor violated their regulations.
The controversy has also spilled into Dominican politics.
As the Dominican Republic looks toward its 2028 elections, some presidential hopefuls have used the incident to call for tougher measures against Haitian migrants. One candidate made an especially inflammatory statement, saying he would enslave Haitians. Such comments have added a political dimension to what began as a soccer controversy.
For Haitian supporters, Isidor’s declaration celebrated national pride after a historic 4-1 victory on Dominican soil. For Dominican officials and critics, it was interpreted as something more—a statement about the sovereignty of the country where the match was played.
“For 90 minutes, there are colors, rivalries, emotions and an absolute desire to win,” Isidor said in the aftermath of his remark’s fallout—emphasizing soccer’s role as a space for bringing people together. “Afterward, what remains is what truly matters: the respect we have for one another and what sports can create among people.”
