Violette and Baltimore draw 0-0 in Haitian league finals debut 

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Violette Athletic Club and Baltimore Sportif Club played to a 0-0 draw Sunday in a physical and tightly contested first leg of the Haitian Football League Finals — leaving the championship wide open heading into the return leg scheduled for Feb. 14.

Violette, which earned a draw away from home at Parc Levelt in Saint-Marc, believes it now holds a slight edge.

“Today’s draw isn’t a bad result for us,” Violette captain Fernando Ciceron told LPS Media+. “We’re not champions yet, but we’ve done 50 percent of the work.”

Final returns to the Haitian capital

The return leg is set for Parc Sportif Sainte-Thérèse in Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, carrying symbolic weight for the league. The competition was inactive from 2021 to 2023 because of gang violence in the capital. When league play resumed in 2024, Port-au-Prince clubs were unable to participate, and the final was held in Cap-Haïtien, the main city of the North Department.

Violette and Racing Club Haïtien rejoined the league in 2025, marking a gradual return to normalcy despite Haiti’s ongoing political instability. The reinstatement of opening and closing series has also expanded opportunities for players to showcase their talent.

Missed chances for Baltimore

Baltimore, a Saint-Marc-based club founded in 1974, is seeking its first league title in 15 years. Parc Levelt was filled to its roughly 5,000-seat capacity for the first leg, with several local figures in attendance, including former Baltimore coach and Haiti’s national team midfielder, Peter Germain– an iconic figure for the club.

The hosts created better chances in the first half and had a goal ruled offside in the 44th minute. Head coach Ernso Datus started star striker Armstrong Leconte on the bench before introducing him in the second half, but Baltimore could not break through Violette’s defense.

“We wanted to win, but a draw is part of the game,” Datus told LPS Media. “The final is played over two matches. We’ll try to win the second and bring the trophy home.”

Datus acknowledged his team struggled to move the ball forward at times, but remains confident.

“I think we can beat Violette at their home,” he said.

Ciceron disagreed.

“We’ll be at home,” he said. “We’re going to take care of business and become champions.”

Violette last won the Haitian League in 2020, claiming its seventh title. Baltimore is chasing its fifth. The second leg will be streamed on LPS Media. 

Kickoff time has yet to be announced.

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