Honduran Press Report

[Beadling Boy]

http://www.laprensahn.com/deportes.php?id=665&tabla=March_2005&fecha=20050316

”FOR US IT’S AN EMBARASSMENT”

BY Nahum Aguillar
naguilar@laprensa.hn

San Pedro Sula. The Honduran national team was very close to not traveling to the United States to participate in the upcoming friendlies against the Americans and Trinidad & Tobago because the U.S. embassy did not provide travel visas to eight players called-up by coach Chelato Ucles.

Fenafuth (Honduran F.A.), solicited the U.S. embassy to assist in obtaining visas for Dennis Ferrera, Darwin Pacheco, Mario Berrios, Asthor Henriquez, Cristian Garden, Edgar Nunez and Luis Ramirez. However, this diplomatic office scheduled a meeting regarding the visas for May 5 – Too late to play in neither the match against Bruce Arena’s squad, nor against the Trinidadians next Tuesday in Miami.

Until yesterday afternoon, Chelato Ucles was leaning toward not traveling to the U.S. However, Fenafuth made the decision to cancel the club match between Atletico Olancano and Real Espana so that the national team could count on some of the players from those teams: Sergio Mendoza, Erick Vallecillo, Junio Morales and Walter Hernandez.

Chelato expressed his indignation with the problems in which Honduras is involved and said, “It is an embarrassment that the only professional soccer player to which an entry visa is denied, is the Honduran. Today we can no longer count on the squad that we had for the Nations Cup.”

“This has never happened in the history of our country – It is a special case. My suggestion was not to go if there are so many inconveniences. For us, its an embarrassment. There no longer is any credibility in the Honduran.”

What is certain is that the embassy no longer has a special treaty with Fenafuth after the famous visa scandal was discovered where there were many people obtaining false documents via Fenafuth who was passing them through as soccer players so that they could enter U.S. territory.

This case was denounced by La Prensa. The ex youth soccer directors, Xenia Moya, Flor Jovel and Lester Aguilar were the people in the middle of this scandal which transcended international borders in which the American consulate advised that they no longer had credibility in the president of Fenafuth, Rafael Callejas, nor in secretary Alfredo Hawitt.

Newly Appointed. After learning the negative news from the embassy, Chelato Ucles quickly called-up Montagua goal keeper Henry Enamorado, defender Vida Mario Gomez and, surprisingly, also announced the return of naturalized Brazilian Denilson Costa. The three players have their visa up to date.

The bicolor practiced last night in San Pedro Sula and tomorrow they will depart for Albuquerque, United States.

[Neubill]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Beadling Boy again.


Thanks, BB!

[Thomas Flannigan]

Wonderful post. This is yet another disgusting act by the US government.

[ur_land]

Wonderful post. This is yet another disgusting act by the US government.

It's disgusing that they're cautious about dealing with an entity that has been found to deal in mass visa fraud?

[NBlue]

Disgraceful.

[NBlue]

It's disgusing that they're cautious about dealing with an entity that has been found to deal in mass visa fraud?

No. Its disgusting that they are not letting in members of soccer team into the country to play in a match to which the US Soccer Federation invited them. If there is an outstanding warrant on a player from an action he committed here previously or there is an allegation that one or more are terrorists, that would be a valid basis to fail to issue a visa. However, apparently, none of that has been asserted here. It appears that the only basis for denial of a Visa is that there was a scandal in the past with some Hondurans.

If that is the problem simply VERIFY the people coming here are the freaking soccer players we invited to play in the match. DON"T SCHEDULE A HEARING ON MAY 5th for an event to take place March 19th.

This upsets me so much.

[FirstStar]

Disgraceful.

Fool me once . . shame on you . . . fool me twice . . .

Can't balme the guys at the embassy for not wanting to be the ones to get fired (or re-assigned to Cape Verde) if something goes wrong again. Sorry to Honduras, but this is what happens when you break your trust. Can't expect to go through life without consequences.

Fenafuth should have known that they no longer have priority access to the US and should have contacted the embassy earlier. Time for them to act like adults.

[ur_land]

No. Its disgusting that they are not letting in members of soccer team into the country to play in a match to which the US Soccer Federation invited them.

Except, according to the article, those are the exact circumstances in which there were past abuses.

It appears that the only basis for denial of a Visa is that there was a scandal in the past with some Hondurans.


I don't think visas were denied--I think the issuing of visas was delayed (too long for the Honduran coach).


DON"T SCHEDULE A HEARING ON MAY 5th for an event to take place March 19th.

That seems reasonable, but I'd love to hear the embassy's side of the story.

You cannot reason with extreme left-wing socialist liberals. Some folks will blame America for everything. All the more reason for moderates like me to vote and cancel out their crazy-a$$ ideology (if it can even be called an ideology).

As an extreme left-wing liberal, I take offense to that remark. I don't blame America for everything, and no extreme left-wing liberal that I personally know does so either. People like Ward Churchill (or Anne Coulter, for that matter) are nut jobs that don't represent the entirety of their group. And for that matter, I don't remeber TF ever proclaiming his ideology. I don't agree with Flannagan on most points, but neither he, nor anyone else, need to be personally attacked like that.

[Red Star]

It's disgusing that they're cautious about dealing with an entity that has been found to deal in mass visa fraud?

No, it is a reasonable reaction to past betrayals of trust.

But don't try to reason with me, I am liberal incapable of formulating an ideology.

[denver_mugwamp]

Fool me once . . shame on you . . . fool me twice . . .

Can't balme the guys at the embassy for not wanting to be the ones to get fired (or re-assigned to Cape Verde) if something goes wrong again.

Actually, Cape Verde would be considered a cush assignment by the foreign service types. Honduras is probably pretty far down on the list but ahead of places like Afgahnistan and Saudi. But just the same, you can't blame the embassy folks for giving a little payback. I wonder how many "soccer players" were allowed into the US. I have a mental picture of a pot-bellied 40ish guy and all his family and they're all juggling soccer balls in the lobby of the US embassy.

[Beadling Boy]

There are several press reports from which I am going to paraphrase and provide some quotes. Please advise if you'd like the link to any of these articles.

Firstly, La Tribuna states, “The national team coach, Jose de la Paz Herrera ‘Chelato’, practically has had to pull off some miracles to put together a team to travel to the United States, at the last minute, given that some players did not want to be called as a result of what Fenafuth owes to said players and given that other players were prevented to enter into the U.S. in a timely manner.”

Player - Visa Problems La Prensa quoted coach Chelato Ucles as stating, “This is the darkest moment in the history of our country’s soccer.” In El Tiempo, Their FA prez comments, “This (lack of visas) is the result of a delinquent act on the part of the Fenafuth officials in the Northern Region and something that we cannot overcome at this time.”

Player – Money Problems - La Tribuna goes on to state, “Fenafuth president, Rafael Leonardo Callejas wired USD $100 to Olimpia players, Wilmer Velasquez, Maynor Figueroa and Walter Lopez so that they pay for their visas and fly to the U.S. after the match against Mexican Pumas.” These players flew directly to the states after their match against Pumas last night. The Honduran-based players departed for the U.S. at 7:00 a.m. this morning. The last time the Yanks faced the catrachos, we beat their Bora-led team 4-0.

Regarding unpaid salaries, Callejas commented to La Tribuna: “The salary problem is a serious matter over which we do not have control. We cannot pay until 60 days after the payroll intergration.”

Olimpia Withholds Players – Not only did Olimpia refuse to allow senior players to travel to the U.S. for these friendlies, but they also apparently did not allow the Honduran U20 captain, Osman Madrid, to incorporate into the national team, despite Olimpia’s prez’s supposed promise to the Fenafuth prez (according to La Tribuna).

FA President’s Retirement - To compound these Honduran F.A. problems, their president, Rafael Leonardo Callejas has recently announced his retirement.

Cancellation of T&T Match - Additionally, La Tribuna reports that CONCACAF stated that it had canceled the match between Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras set to be played next week in the U.S. (did not state a reason). However, it is reported that Callejas called CONCACAF prez, Jack Warner, and had to “beg” that the T&T match be reinstated. “The trip to the United States will be made, and we will realize two matches including one against Trinidad & Tobago since Jack Warner confirmed that a match will be played on the 23rd in Ft. Lauderdale.” Callejas commented to La Tribuna

It seems as if another paper's news, La Prensa’s, is somewhat dated since it states that the T&T match was canceled and the U.S. game was Honduras’ only friendly during the next week in the states. It even quoted coach Ucles as follows: “Thank God that we only have one match because look at the poor conditions under which we are traveling. We have never traveled in such sorry shape, but these are game agreements that Fenafuth made without taking other factors into consideration.”

"Goleada" – Coach Chelato Ucles was publicly quoted as stating that he feared a “goleada” (big-margin win) against the U.S. team (per La Prensa

Gold Cup – La Prensa indicates that coach Ucles is not certain if he will coach Honduras in the G.C., given the multitude of problems they are currently encountering and his displeasure with everything that has transpired recently.

Atletico Olanchano Furious – Once Fenafuth realized that they were not going to get the players they wanted on the national team, due to visas not being approved by the U.S. and Olimpia’s lack of cooperation, the F.A. canceled a weekend’s club match between Atletico Olanchano and versus Real Espana so that their national team could take some of those players. The A.O. coach commented to El Tiempo, “This decision to cancel our match, led by the Fenafuth president, is very unscrupulous. The president of the federation should be working for the good of soccer, and all 11 teams, and not be favoring only one team.”

Repossessed Bus – El Tiempo reports that Fenafuth had their player bus repossessed, based on a judges ruling, because it owed 2 million Lempiras (about USD $110,000) for office building rent. The FA prez protested that the bus was “stolen” from them.

I assume that there aren’t too many other soccer federations having so many problems. Wow.

Roster of Honduran players making the trip in this article: http://www.laprensahn.com/deportes.php?id=719&tabla=March_2005&fecha=20050317

[Adam Zebrowski]

i just guess the members of the right wing death squads in honduras wouldn't have all that much trouble getting visas though, but soccer players ....

gotta protect the american people in alburqurque from wanton acts of violence from the honduran soccer team....

next time around when usa has a qualifier in san pedro sula , let's see the hondurans deny entry to donovan and beasley and the rest of the A side, and let's hear the roar from bs.....

usa is the most powerful entity on this planet and we have such a victim complex....

or is the victim complex just a nice way to introduce a subtle fascism...

[Adam Zebrowski]

i do trust the american people in times of real trouble, so I'm NOT all that pessimistic about where the country as a whole are going....

it's all about image management, and trying to define culture....

I take the notion that there are ebbs and flows to the right and to the left over time, with the 60's - 1980 representing a general flow to the left and since then movement to the right.....

over long periods of time, the movement tends to be more liberal, but ya gotta put up with the regressive phases....

hegel does seem to get it right here.

[fidlerre]

Please take the politics crap here : http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=159

Thanks.

[Indiana Jones]

Wonderful post. This is yet another disgusting act by the US government.

Why dont the Hondurans just take the team bus across the Mexican border like everybody else :mad:

[InnocentBystander]

Back to the real issue here:



Repossessed Bus – El Tiempo reports that Fenafuth had their player bus repossessed... The FA prez protested that the bus was “stolen” from them.


And we complain about our soccer federation.

[CarlosE]

Why dont the Hondurans just take the team bus across the Mexican border like everybody else :mad:

Team bus??? Ummmm, I think you missed this part of the press reports posted here:

Repossessed Bus – El Tiempo reports that Fenafuth had their player bus repossessed... The FA prez protested that the bus was “stolen” from them.

Maybe their team bicycles?

[Chowderhead]

i just guess the members of the right wing death squads in honduras wouldn't have all that much trouble getting visas though, but soccer players ....

gotta protect the american people in alburqurque from wanton acts of violence from the honduran soccer team....

next time around when usa has a qualifier in san pedro sula , let's see the hondurans deny entry to donovan and beasley and the rest of the A side, and let's hear the roar from bs.....

usa is the most powerful entity on this planet and we have such a victim complex....

or is the victim complex just a nice way to introduce a subtle fascism...

Marone.

[CPRoyale]

People need to be reminded about the current scandal in Germany with a visa scandal rattling the government and nearly forcing the German Foreign Minister to resign. Visa fraud must be taken seriously.
That being said, we seldom seem to handle these situations delicately. I remember one incident where the Prince of Spain was delayed by Customs for hours at the Miami Airport. Bottom line, all our actions are under the microscope, and when where we don't place importance on a situation, others see it as a national insult. Both we and others need to keep a cool head.

[dark knight]

Guys - this thread is going to stay here for now, but your feelings about right wing and left wing wackos should be kept to yourself.

If it turns out we can't discuss this without partisan rancor taking over, we'll just shut it down.

Thanks

Edit: I scrubbed away some of the stuff I'm talking about.