Friends and family of footballer Hannes Delcroix gathered at a bar near Essen in the middle of the night to watch him play for Haiti in the World Cup. Delcroix grew up in Antwerp province but was born in Haiti and chose to play for his native country’s national team.
The 27-year-old defender has played league football for Anderlecht, Burnley and Swansea, and played one match for Belgium in 2020. He is now representing the country of his birth this summer in the World Cup. Their first match was a close-fought 1-0 defeat to Scotland, who are appearing in the competition for the first time in 28 years.
Rit Van Loenhout, Delcroix’s mother, was at De Gaffel in Horendonk to cheer him on, while her husband and other family watched the match in person in Boston. “I’m glad I can watch it here at the café with family and friends,” she said. “It’s nice that our son’s soccer achievements are bringing some extra excitement here.”
After Sunday morning’s defeat, Haiti will have to achieve a miracle against Brazil or Morocco if they are to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition. Their next match is on Saturday morning at 2.30 Belgian time.
“As soon as it was announced that Haiti would be in the World Cup, I decided to broadcast the matches in the café,” says café owner Berend Pyl, whose wife is Delcroix’s cousin. “Hannes was with us in the Chiro until he was 14. Back then, he won almost every game he played in. He’s a go-getter and someone who loves to win.”