Haiti striker Wilson Isidor has warned that the Group C outsiders plan to get Scotland’s World Cup campaign off to the worst possible start.
Scotland’s coaching team of Steven Naismith, Alan Irvine and Scot Gemmill watched Sebastien Migne’s side hammer fellow qualifiers New Zealand in an impressive 4-0 warm-up win in Miami last night.
Sunderland striker Isidor formed a strike partnership with Duckens Nazon before making way at half-time. Playing fast, attacking, off-the-cuff football, Hiati were roared on by a boisterous, excitable support of 10,000 people.
And Isidor says he and his teammates plan to give them more to cheer when they face Scotland on June 14 in Boston.
“We are not here for giving presents,” said the team’s star man. “We are not coming here to the World Cup to just participate.
“We know our objective. The group know what we want to do and we are not coming into this competition to just take part.”
Life in Haiti is now dominated by gang violence, hijacks and kidnappings with the national team forced to play their qualifiers overseas. The national Stade Sylvio Cator was seized by the gangs in 2021 and the national football team last played on home soil five years ago.
While a US travel ban on Haitians will prevent travelling supporters going to America, expat supporters roared their team to victory playing a fluent, athletic brand of football.
“We feel really good,” added Isidor. “We played in a good stadium with all our fans, who were just amazing.
“I hope that they are going to give us the same support during the World Cup.
“We were so happy with that. We started our path and now we know that the games are coming, we did the first step and now we are ready for the next one.”
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Like winger Ruben Providence, scorer of a stunning opening goal against the All Whites, Isidor was a French youth international before he committed to playing senior international football with Haiti.
Asked if he knows players in the Scotland said he said: “I know some. I know Ross Stewart was playing at Sunderland and I played against Andy Robertson and against John McGinn. We will what they have now.”
Asked if Haiti can cause Steve Clarke’s side problems he replied: “Why not? Of course.
“We play with our heart, we play as a family and we are a strong team and a strong country fighting for our people. So we have plenty to give them.
“We want to do it for the people. That matters a lot to us.
“If we can give them joy for one hour or two hours then that sends a strong message.
“Our football is strong now and we want to send a good message to our people
“We want to make a good impression for our country in the eyes of the world.
“The crowd against New Zealand were amazing. The noise when we scored, I never experienced that in my life.”
