By Jerry Diaz/ @Jerryto94
Cuba participated in the Caribbean Series as a guest in six consecutive editions from 2014 in Isla Margarita to 2019 in Panama. In that period, he reached the final on two occasions (2015 and 2019) even achieving the championship in San Juan 2015 with Alfonso Urquiola as manager under the name Vegueros de Pinar del Río.
The streak of participations came to an abrupt halt for the 2020 edition. Negligent delays on the part of Cuban officials prevented visas to travel to Puerto Rico, where the fair was held, from being obtained in time.
The Cuba issue is a constant unknown among journalists to Juan Francisco Puello, President of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The president has gone so far as to say that Cuba is a closed issue for him and that he would appreciate no more questions on the subject.
On the afternoon of this Saturday, January 29, in the context of the celebration of the Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo, Puello offered a Press Conference to clarify the doubts that the journalists accredited in the fair had.
Regarding Cuba, it was once again very clear. “To be a full member you have to meet a series of rules and requirements. The case of Cuba, I have said several times, is a topic that I do not touch now and will not touch for quite some time.”
This makes it clear again that the problem of Cuba and the Caribbean Series was not a simple official, it was not Higinio Vélez. Higinio was part of the problem, not the problem itself. It will continue to be so.
Let us remember that Omar Canizales, President of the Mexican Pacific League confessed in February 2020 that Cuba was invited to participate in Mazatlan 2021 and she rejected the option because she wanted to be a full member.
Puello touched on other matters during the Press Conference, especially regarding the venues for the next few years. He made official that in 2023 it will be played in Caracas and in 2024 the Caribbean Series will return to Miami. For 2025 it is expected to be held in Mexico, 2026 in Puerto Rico, 2027 again in Mexico and although it is not certain, in 2028 Miami may repeat as the venue.
As always, I recommend that you watch the entire Press Conference and make up your own mind about any of the issues discussed there. We leave it here.
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SO CLEAR: “Cuba is a subject that I do not touch,” declared Puello