Minutes after the protocol interview on the eve of the game given by Brazil’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, Sebastién Migné, Haiti’s coach, sat in the same chair. Several times in his responses about Friday’s (19th) match, valid for the second round of the World Cup, he spoke of “rising to the challenge”.
“Being in front of the best is more than gratifying, as long as I rise to the occasion. I met Ancelotti on a few occasions, he was always very kind, he treated me very well. I will try to be respectful and a good opponent”, said the Frenchman, who applied the same reasoning to his players.
“It has been 52 years since Haiti was in the World Cup. Tomorrow, we have a historic opportunity to play against Brazil. We will have to live up to it, that’s what the Haitian fans want. We want to make them proud. We are very lucky. Many would like to be in this place and didn’t qualify,” he added.
For Migné, however, the role of the Caribbean team is not merely to be at the World Cup. Even though the team has never won a point in the history of the competition – it is in its second participation, after the three defeats in 1974 –, the coach maintained that its goal is to advance to the knockout stage.
“I’m not very interested in what happened before. I’m interested in what’s going to happen now”, he said, valuing the work in the 2026 debut, a 1-0 defeat to Scotland in a tough game, with questions about the refereeing. “We have shown that our place in this World Cup has not been usurped. And we will have a beautiful showcase to showcase what we do.”
Because of the difficult reality in Haiti, in social chaos and dominated by gangs, Migné leads the country’s team without setting foot in it. He regretted this situation, which forced him to maintain contact with some of the athletes only through messages, and noted that the people’s difficulties must be remembered on the field.
“When we embark on this profession, as a player, as a coach, it is to experience this type of emotion, very strong. Haitians have more difficult moments than easy ones, and football offers us the opportunity to experience great emotions. May we have no regrets and may the population be proud”, he declared, before allowing himself a dream: “A victory would be total madness”.
