Yves "Dadou" Jean-Bart
Port-au-Prince, June 11, 2026.- Guest of the show Panel Magik this Thursday, June 11, Yves Jean-Bart, former president of the Haitian Football Federation (FHF), has plunged listeners back into the main pages of the history of Haitian football. From the failed qualification of 1969 to the reforms that led to the 1974 World Championship, he highlighted the pivotal moments that shaped the fate of the Grenadiers on the international stage.
On the occasion of the World Cup 2026, in which Haiti will take part for the second time in its history, Yves Jean-Bart recalled that the country's globalist dream dates back several decades.
The former leader of Haitian football notably referred to the 1969 qualifying campaign for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. According to him, Haiti was close to a historical qualification. After a 2-1 defeat in Port-au-Prince against El Salvador, the Grenadiers had created the exploit by winning 3-0 in the return match in Central America.
At the time, the regulation did not take into account the difference in goals. Both selections had to play a dam game in Kingston, Jamaica. After a zero score at the end of the regulatory time, El Salvador had finally scored in overtime to eliminate Haiti and win its ticket for the Mexican World Cup.
Yves Jean-Bart stressed that if the current rules had been applied, Haiti would have qualified thanks to its best goal difference.
This disillusionment, however, served as a catalyst for a profound restructuring of national football. The sports authorities of the time undertook a major modernization project, building on the emergence of young talent and the renovation of local competitions.
The former president of the FHF also recalled the major role played by Don Bosco of Pétion-Ville in the outbreak of several generations of players who will mark the history of Haitian football, including Emmanuel Sanon, emblematic figure of the national selection.
According to him, these efforts helped lay the foundation for the success that will enable Haiti to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, the country's only participation in the competition before the 2026 edition.
Through this historic return, Yves Jean-Bart stressed the importance of preserving the memory of Haitian football in order to inspire new generations and measure the progress made until the Grenadiers returned to the world's largest football scene.
W.A.
