Kelvin Cruz bans Haitian national team from using sports facilities following incidents at the Olympic Stadium
The Minister of Sports, Kelvin Cruz, has issued a forceful response following the serious incidents that occurred last Thursday at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, during the Concacaf Nations League match between the national teams of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The official made it clear that the disorder recorded will not be tolerated in facilities under the guardianship of the State.
The event, which had a massive turnout as tickets were sold out, was marred by overcrowding, pushing, and property damage at the venue entrances. The situation escalated to the point that one of the doors was torn down by a crowd attempting to enter even though the checkpoints had already been closed.
A firm stance on the Haitian national team’s request
Tension reached a critical point when the minister referred to the request from the Haitian national team’s coaching staff, who had expressed their interest in using Dominican facilities to play their home matches in future engagements.
I have bad news for the manager of the Haitian national team: we do not tolerate disorder, so we are denying the Haiti national team any use of our facilities.
Kelvin Cruz, Minister of Sports
Security and preservation of state heritage
For the Ministry of Sports, what happened goes beyond the sporting result—a 4-1 victory for Haiti over the local team—and focuses on the responsibility of preserving public order and protecting national sports infrastructure. Although a security operation and specific pedestrian access points had been arranged at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, the magnitude of the influx exceeded the planned controls.
- The incident left structural damage to one of the entrances to the Olympic Stadium.
- The minister emphasized that the use of public stadiums is strictly conditioned on civic behavior and compliance with the rules.
- This decision sets a precedent for how foreign delegations must guarantee discipline at their events in order to be eligible to use local venues.
With this measure, Alofoke Deportes confirms that the Ministry of Sports will prioritize the integrity of its facilities, sending a clear message to organizers and federations: respect and safety are non-negotiable conditions for any international activity held in Dominican territory.
