Belize national football team briefly held by gunmen in Haiti

The team visiting for a World Cup 2022 qualifier have now safely reached their hotel, the country’s football federation said.

Belize’s national football team, which is currently visiting Haiti for a World Cup 2022 qualifier, was briefly held up by armed gang in the capital Port-Au-Prince on Monday, the country’s football federation says. The central American country’s team, known as the Jaguars, were headed to their hotel from the airport when they were stopped by the armed gang, the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) said on Facebook. “Despite the four-man police escort, the team bus was stopped by an uproar of insurgents with assault rifles on motorcycles,” the FFB said in a statement, adding that their escorts then negotiated with the gang for the team’s release.