Violette
Full nameViolette Athletic Club
Nickname(s)Le Vieux Tigre[1]
Founded18 May 1918; 105 years ago (1918-05-18)[2][3]
GroundStade Sylvio Cator
Capacity20,000[4]
Coordinates18°32′9.81″N 72°20′32.79″W / 18.5360583°N 72.3424417°W / 18.5360583; -72.3424417
ChairmanJean-Marie Fritz Henry[5]
ManagerWebens Prinsimé
LeagueLigue Haïtienne
2020–21Série d'Ouverture: 6th
Playoffs: Champions

Violette Athletic Club is a professional football club based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

History

Violette is one of the most successful clubs in the country. In 1939, Violette A.C. captured the double after winning the league and the Coupe d'Haïti.[citation needed] They were awarded the 1984 CONCACAF Champions' Cup following the disqualification of two teams who had been planned to play a two-legged series to determine the North American participant in the final.[6] The club was relegated to second division after the 2016 Ligue Haïtienne season.[7]

The club has produced many Haitian international footballers, including Alexandre Boucicaut and Sebastien Vorbe.[citation needed] Their home stadium, Stade Sylvio Cator, was damaged during the 2010 earthquake and later reopened for use.[8]

Violette won the 2021 Série d'Ouverture and qualified for the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship,[9] which they won while playing all of their home matches at Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, due to the ongoing political crisis.[10] They qualified for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League and scheduled several friendlies to prepare for the competition, as the Ligue Haïtienne had suspended operations for the 2022 season.[9] Violette earned an upset 3–0 victory over Austin FC, a Major League Soccer club from the United States, in the Round of 16's first leg in the Dominican Republic.[11] Due to issues obtaining enough travel visas for the second leg in the United States, Violette temporarily signed several players from the lower leagues of U.S. soccer to serve as bench players.[12][13] The team arrived in the United States with 14 total players—avoiding a forfeit—and lost 2–0 to retain their 3–2 aggregate lead and advance to the quarterfinals.[14]

Honours

1939, 1957, 1968, 1983, 1994/95, 1999, 2020/21-O
1939, 1951
1984
2022

International competitions

1969 – first round – Lost against Bermuda Somerset Trojans 6–1 on aggregate (stage 1 of 3)
1975 – first round (Caribbean) – Withdrew against Suriname SV Transvaal (stage ? of ?)
1977 – third round (Caribbean) – Lost against Suriname SV Robinhood 1–0 on aggregate (stage 3 of 5)
1984 – CONCACAF Champion
1985 – Unknown results
1994 – first round (Caribbean) – Lost against Netherlands Antilles CRKSV Jong Colombia 2–1 on aggregate (stage 2 of 7)
2023 – quarterfinals - Lost against Mexico Club León 6-2 on aggregate
2000 – first round - Group B - 2nd place - 6 pts (stage 1 of 2)
2002 – second round - Group A - 2nd place - 4 pts (stage 2 of 2)
2009 – semifinal Lost against Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Islanders 2–0 - Lost Third Place Round against Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh 1–2
2022 – Caribbean Champions

Crests

Current squad

As of March 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 MF Haiti HAI Lutherson Merville
5 FW Haiti HAI Jean Leriche
6 DF Haiti HAI Wilmont Oracius
7 MF Haiti HAI Jean-Fabrice Védrine
9 MF Haiti HAI Steevenson Jeudi
10 FW Haiti HAI Roberto Louima
11 FW Haiti HAI Stevenson Guillaume
12 GK Haiti HAI Steve Sanon
14 MF Haiti HAI Shad San Millán
15 MF Haiti HAI Lens Pierre
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF Haiti HAI Dany Camille
17 MF Haiti HAI Wendy Saint-Félix
18 MF Haiti HAI Jhonny Parima
19 FW Haiti HAI Fritzner Oslin
20 FW Haiti HAI Miche-Naider Chéry
23 DF Haiti HAI Denilson Pierre
27 MF Haiti HAI Olivier Pierre
30 MF Haiti HAI Elyvens Déjean
33 GK Haiti HAI Paul Décius
77 MF Haiti HAI Steeven Saba

List of coaches

References

  1. ^ Welt Fussball Archiv: Violette AC
  2. ^ Haiti Reference: Le Football Haitien: Équipes et Clubs
  3. ^ Haiti: Championnat National D1 2014
  4. ^ Press, ed. (26 October 2014). "CWC Final: All-Time Results & Scorers". CONCACAF. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  5. ^ Press, ed. (3 February 2016). "Démission imminente du président du Violette" (in French). Le National. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  6. ^ Lubin, Marshall (10 March 1985). "U.S. Soccer Alive and Well, a Visitor Assures". Newsday. p. 30. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ RSSSF - Haiti 2016
  8. ^ Maas, Jimmy (7 March 2023). "For Haitian team playing Austin FC in the Champions League, the bigger challenge is off the pitch". KUT. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b Kloke, Joshua (13 March 2023). "From violence to visas, Violette AC has overcome a lot to represent Haiti in CONCACAF Champions League". The Athletic. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  10. ^ Gordon, Colby (7 March 2023). "Buoyed by win, Austin FC hopes to catch on with CONCACAF Champions League, too". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  11. ^ Sigal, Jonathan (7 March 2023). "CCL shocker: Austin FC upset by Haiti's Violette AC in Round of 16". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  12. ^ Gates, Billy (13 March 2023). "Austin FC opponent signs 4 players for 2nd leg of CONCACAF Champions League 1st round after visa denials: report". KXAN. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  13. ^ Avila, Edoardo (14 March 2023). "Violette AC hace "fichajes" de última hora, por falta de visas, y para jugar Concachampions" [Violette AC makes last minute "signings", due to lack of visas, to play in CONCACAF Champions League]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  14. ^ Sigal, Jonathan (14 March 2023). "Austin FC can't "right the wrong" in historic CCL upset to Haiti's Violette AC". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
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