When we speak of Cuba, rarely do we converse about the history of sports in the country. As interesting as the country is, The Pearl of the Antilles will always be associated with their socialist regime. Though I must say the Afro-Cuban dance, rhumba, has been quite influential.
Even with Spanish influence, Cuba’s most popular sport has always been baseball. The first football club in Cuba was Hatüey Sport Club, founded in 1907. The club resided in the capital Havana and was named after Taino chief Hatüey of the Guahaba province in far northwestern Haiti. He was known for resisting Spanish colonization. Hatüey was tortured and burned at stake for this. At the time, the team was comprised of mostly Cuban and Spanish players. Since there were no other official team the players played unofficial matches against other cities and neighborhoods.
Two years later in 1909, English, Scots, Irish and Welshmen living on the island formed the Rover Athletic Club. The pair of clubs from Havana did not play until 1911.
On December 11, 1911; the first official football match in Cuba was played in Havana’s Palatino Fields. Rovers Athletic Club won the match 1-0 thanks to a goal from captain, Jack C. Orr. This was part of the first unofficial league championship played in Cuba between SC Hatüey, Rovers AC, CF Hispano-América and Euskeria SC; though, the winners are not known. In 1912 it is recorded that Rovers AC won the league.
The press realized that football was becoming colossus and that it was traveling with an immense force of expansion. As a result they made room for it in their sports pages.
Football began to spread like a wildfire through the city and its neighborhoods. It absorbed all brains and broke the natural course of placid life in the city. Soon signs appeared, which read as follows: “It is forbidden to talk football.” Traders sought to stop the surge of the sport because it disrupted the pace of business. There was talk of football instead of interest in the price of sugar, coffee, and tobacco.
In 1925 the team Fortuna finally won their first national championship. After conquering football domestically, they decided to travel and play unofficially in Costa Rica. They dominated with three wins and only one draw.
The Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba is the official governing body of the sport of football (soccer) in Cuba and it was inaugurated in 1924. In 1932 it was affiliated with FIFA.
Once again in 1935 they competed in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador. This time they were not so fortunate. They lost 3 of their 5 games and the bronze medal was their consequence.
The 1938 World Cup in France was poorly received by the America’s since they had wanted to host it. All nations in South America except Brazil withdrew, and all CONCACAF nations except Cuba, thus the two qualified by default. The team were able to reach quarter-finals, but Sweden overpowered them with an 8-0 win.
Cuba exchanges pennants with their Romanian counterpart.
An unknown French journalist stopped typing at 5-0 and said: “Up to five goals is journalism, after that it become statistics.”
After 1938, for the next 11 years Cuba participated in only friendlies and finally in 1949 they played in the Kings Cup.