Gangs set fire to Haiti’s national soccer training center in Croix-des-Bouquets

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian officials say armed gangs set ablaze parts of Haiti’s national soccer training center in Croix-des-Bouquets, striking a symbolic blow to one of the country’s most important institutions for youth development and sports.

The facility — officially known as the FIFA Goal Center and nicknamed “Camp Nous” or the Ranch of Croix-des-Bouquets — was targeted Feb. 1, during clashes between police and members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, according to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action. Several buildings were burned down between Sunday night and early Monday morning.

In a statement, the ministry said it was “deeply dismayed” by the act against a site considered a national sporting, cultural and civic heritage (MJSAC).

“The MJSAC condemns in the strongest possible terms this act of destruction against a national sporting and cultural heritage,” the statement from the institution, led by Minister Niola Lynn Sarah Devalis Octavius, read.

 “Despite everything, the ministry affirms that its role in supporting the youth remains unwavering and that the momentum behind mobilization in support of Les Grenadiers [Haitian men’s national soccer team] will in no way be interrupted. The spirit of unity born of the historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup must make us stronger in the face of adversity.”

The Ranch, also home to the Haitian Football Federation (FHF), has been abandoned since 2021, when the 400 Mawozo gang and other armed groups took over the Cul-de-Sac Plain where it is located. Authorities said during a clash with police, the gangs deliberately set fire to multiple structures inside the complex.

Prior to Sunday’s blaze, recent confrontations with law enforcement had ended with several gang members killed, weapons seized and gang-controlled sites destroyed. Officials believe the burning of the Ranch may have been a retaliatory act in response to those operations.

A sports rite of passage

For decades, the Croix-des-Bouquets training center served as a hub for athletic training, civic education and community programs. Upgraded in the early 2000s with $1.2 million in support from FIFA, the center helped shape generations of players, including men and women who later signed professional contracts overseas and represented Haiti on the international stage.

Among the players who trained there is Melchie Daëlle ‘Corventina’ Dumornay, now one of the most prominent figures in women’s soccer globally.

Beyond elite training, the center also hosted youth camps, community gatherings and programs promoting discipline and civic engagement, making it one of the rare spaces where sports and social development intersected.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” calling it a direct assault on the country’s youth and future. Despite the destruction, the ministry said its commitment to supporting young people and national teams remains unchanged.

Officials renewed calls for peace and national solidarity, stressing that restoring security is essential to protecting institutions dedicated to education, sports and civic life.

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