Cuba keeper Raiko Arozarena on defecting teammates at Gold Cup

Last Wednesday the Cuba FA confirmed that four of their soccer players Roberney Caballero, Denilson Morales, Neisser Sandó and Jassael Herrera had left the squad during the Gold Cup.

After the news broke, the Cuban goalkeeper, Raiko Arozarena (brother of the Mexican baseball player Randy Arozarena), gave his version of what happened and in an interview with TUDN revealed details about how they noticed the absence of their companions the morning after their 2023 Gold Cup debut.

“When we got up to have breakfast, we started to count the people and we saw that four of the boys were missing. When we had to travel to Houston we saw that the players still hadn’t shown up and that means they had stayed in Miami”, Raiko Arozarena explained to TUDN.

Arozarena also pointed out that it is a normal situation within the Cuban squad that several of those selected, both in soccer and in other sports, leave the team and defect during competitions in other countries.

“It is something that we see as something commonplace and it’s happened with several teams and in several sports, players arrive in foreign countries want to stay there, so from that side we see it as something normal”, added the goalkeeper.

What are Cuba's next commitments in the Gold Cup?

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This Saturday, Cuba will play their second match at the Gold Cup facing Guadeloupe at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston as the Caribbean island nation look to secure their first points of the tournament.

Next Tuesday (4 July) Cuba will close their group stage participation as they face Canada at the same venue in the Texan city.