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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kenneth Mohammed

Cricket, football, athletics: the Caribbean’s sporting success is extraordinary – so why does it feel like a missed opportunity?

A black cricketer is triumphantly lifted on to the shoulders of delighted spectators
Viv Richards carried off the pitch after helping beat England in 1991. His West Indies team dominated world cricket for more than a decade. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

The US is preparing to co-host the 2026 World Cup while also deciding who is allowed to attend. For the Caribbean, that contradiction is familiar. In nearly a century of men’s World Cup football, only four Caribbean nations have ever qualified.

This year, more finally will, but many of their supporters, especially Haitians, will be unable to travel to cheer them on, blocked by immigration rules that sit uneasily beside sport’s language of unity.

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