“I want to succeed”, says Raudelis Guerra after leaving the Cuban basketball delegation in Madrid

Cuban Raudelis Guerra left the island’s basketball delegation in Spain this Sunday, on his way to the qualifying tournament for the World Cup, which will take place from July 1 to 4 in El Salvador.

Guerra escaped from the entourage at the Madrid-Barajas Airport, where part of the national team made a stopover to continue heading to the Central American country, reported Play-Off Magazine.

“I left the delegation for a very, very personal reason. Perhaps many do not know what it is and people give their opinions without knowing. But I do understand myself and mine will understand me,” the Guantanamo told the digital media.

“I want to get ahead, I want to succeed. I know the road is going to be difficult, but I am ready for the challenge,” added the 26-year-old basketball player.

So far, the Cuban government has not ruled on the case.

The pre-qualifying tournament based in El Salvador grants two places for the Americup 2022, the most relevant event for the national teams of the American continent.

“I want to get ahead, I want to succeed. I know that the road is going to be difficult, but I am ready for the challenge”

After the abandonment of Guerra, only nine basketball players will participate in the Salvadoran event after the announcement last week that two players tested positive for covid-19 and could not be replaced, by the protocols of the competition.

According to the official press, the Cuban cast is made up of Jasiel Rivero, who currently plays for the Hereda San Pablo Burgos club in the ACB League of Spain, and Karel Guzmán, recently champion in Romania with the U Banca Transilvania Cluj Napoca team, as well as Lisván. Valdés, Yoel Cubillas, Osmel Oliva, Yoanki Mencía, Pedro Bombino, Neysser Coutín and the youthful Marcos Chacón.

In the qualifying tournament, Cuba will face the Salvadoran hosts, Costa Rica and the Bahamas, “the latter the most difficult rival,” reported the Cuban News Agency.

That of War joins other cases of defections of Cuban athletes and collaborators that occurred in the last month. Lazaro Blanco, a pitcher for the national team that participated in the Baseball Pre-Olympic of the Americas held in Florida, decided to stay in Miami on June 4 and not return to Saltillo, Mexico, where he had a contract with a local team.

“The important thing is that I feel good about the decision I have made, a new life that I am going to start right now, I am very happy to be here,” said Blanco shortly after his decision was known.

Days before, Cesar Prieto, one of the promises of the discipline, had left his companions just hours after landing in Florida. After a few days, Jorge Sile Figueroa, a psychologist for the baseball team, also decided to leave the delegation and stay in the North American country.

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