Cuban national Futsal player Harold Aguilera has left the team in Portugal. Aguilera mysteriously disappeared after Cuba’s friendly game against Ukraine.
Harold Aguilera has deserted the Cuban national team in Viseu, Portugal. The 22-year-old, who is originally from Camagüey, mysteriously disappeared after Cuba’s friendly Futsal match against Ukraine as part of their preparations for the upcoming FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 in Uzbekistan, reported Play Off Magazine – a specialized media outlet. Aguilera is better known for his role as a finisher in the national side.
The media also highlighted Aguilera’s crucial role in the Nicaragua Pre-World Cup 2024, helping Cuba tie the game against Costa Rica 3-3 in the semis to force a penalty shootout. His sole goal helped Cuba secure a berth in the final. More interestingly, Aguilera was the acting goalkeeper when he scored that goal in the dying moments of the game.
Cuba is scheduled to play three friendly futsal matches in Portugal ahead of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024, which will be their sixth World Cup event. The first couple of fixtures served resounding defeats to Cuba where they lost 9-0 to Portugal and 7-0 to Ukraine. Cuba will be up against Costa Rica in their next friendly game on Sunday. Their final stay will be in Spain where they will play against the local clubs, before leaving for Uzbekistan on September 9.
Aguilera’s defection isn’t the first time a Cuban player has left the team. There’s been an exodus of Cuban athletes over the past three years. Earlier this year, at the Paris Olympics, we saw 21 Cuban athletes competing under various flags. In April this year, Lázaro Castro defected from the Cuban Futsal team during the CONCACAF Pre-World Cup Championship in Managua, Nicaragua.
In November 2023, two Cuban Futsal players Barbaro Shelier and Emesto Duanes deserted the team while they were touring Costa Rica for a preparatory match. Earlier, in 2022, three Cuban Futsal players Leonardo Acevedo, Mario Planchet, and Christian Temprano abandoned the side during the U-20 UNCAF FIFA Forward Futsal Tournament in Guatemala.
The ongoing defection of the Cuban players will definitely hurt their chances at Uzbekistan 2024 where they will be playing top teams like Brazil and Croatia in the group stage. Thailand are also placed in Group B with Cuba. Cuba will play their first game in the World Cup on September 14 against Brazil at the Bukhara Universal Sports Complex, Bukhara.