Wilton Antoine, a South Florida restaurant owner, said his journey following the Haiti national team started back in 1994.
“Ever since then, I’ve been dreaming of the Haitian national team being in the World Cup,” Antoine said.
Antoine said he and other supporters flew to Curaçao for the qualification game on Nov. 18.
“That day was like the best day of my life when it comes to joy, like the tears and the joy,” Antoine said. “The laughter, the tears, the joy that we see on every single player’s faces … that day was just simply amazing.”
Antoine said seeing Haiti in the World Cup after 52 years is hard to describe.
“Words cannot even describe how I actually feel,” he said.
Antoine said the trip has taken fans to Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta. For the Atlanta game, he said the group wanted to make the trip “fun and memorable.”
“We actually planned this for months since we actually found out that Haiti was going to be in the World Cup,” Antoine said.
He said the group rented a shuttle bus and gathered about 30 to 40 friends from South Florida. They met at one of his Pearl of the Island restaurant locations in Margate before driving to Atlanta.
“It was like an amazing trip,” Antoine said. “We stopped on the road, we played soccer … it was really amazing.”
Antoine said the group had not slept all night before arriving at the stadium and Fan Fest.
“The people here are just amazing and friendly,” he said.
For Antoine, Haiti’s World Cup appearance is more than one game.
“I don’t think there’s enough words that can actually describe the way I feel,” he said. “This has been like a dream or something that we’ve been dreaming about for years, for decades.”
He said the Brazil versus Haiti game was “the best day of my life, the best experience I’ve had in my life.”
Even though Haiti was already out of the World Cup, Antoine said that did not change his support.
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“That did not mean anything to me,” he said. “I’m going to support my team no matter where they are.”
Antoine said the moment carries deep meaning for Haitian fans.
“This game, to a lot of Haitians, to us, it means the world to us,” he said. “Especially knowing the condition our country is in, and what we have to endure to actually reach to where we are right now, without having to play that single game at home.”
Antoine said one of his dreams is to see the team go to Haiti and visit the people there.
“For us, it would be another dream come true for me personally to see the team after this game is over, for them to be able to actually go back home,” he said.
He said fans in Haiti are “simply amazing.”
For Haitians in South Florida and Haiti fans watching, Antoine said his message is simple.
“It doesn’t matter if we win or lose,” he said. “The idea is we are actually in the World Cup. This alone should be enough for us to be satisfied and be happy and support the team no matter what.”
Antoine said fans should be proud of the team.
“I want them to be proud of the boys,” he said. “I want them to keep supporting them.”
He said Haiti making it to the World Cup is already something to celebrate.
“No, we made it to the World Cup,” Antoine said. “Do you know how many other countries wish they could be in this World Cup? A lot.”
Antoine said he is already thinking about 2030 and hopes to create a fan club so supporters can travel together.
“Let’s keep supporting the team no matter what,” he said. “This is the team of the future. We got this. Let’s go Haiti!”
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