Five Haitian soccer players who mysteriously disappeared during a layover at Kennedy Airport returned home yesterday and now face a government investigation into why they deserted their team.
Haitian Sports Minister Fritz Belisaire did not say whether the five teens – who were among 13 of the team’s 18 players who went missing – were being punished or if they would be dropped from the team for the Under-17 World Cup in South Korea in August.
Five other players flew from Haiti to New York Thursday to join the rest of the team. The team arrived in South Korea yesterday to play an exhibition tournament ahead of the World Cup.
The team missed its original flight Wednesday when the 13 players disappeared during an overnight layover. They all returned the following day and reunited with their teammates.