30.6.13

Cuba

 SC Hatüey
Soccer is a relatively minor sport in modern Cuba. The socialist republic, which has resisted in so many ways the malign influence of it's near neighbour the USA, has embraced American sports.
The first football club in Cuba was SC Hatüey, founded in 1907. The  Havana based club took their name from an indigenous chief who had resisted Spanish colonization. The name of the club is usually given with the Spanish prefix CD (Club Deportes) but as the contemporary banner shows, they used the Anglicized SC (sports club).
In 1909 Britons resident in Havana created the Rovers Athletic Club. The two clubs did not meet for a further 2 years. In the meantime however in February 1910 Hatüey played a match against a team of British sailors and won 8-0.
In December 1911 SC Hatüey  and Rovers AC met for the first official match  in the history of Cuban football. Hatüey were a Cuban club, whereas Rovers was composed of British expatriates. It was the first encounter in a 4 team league. Rovers won 1-0 thanks to a goal from founder Jack C. Orr. Some of the results are lost to posterity. Rovers AC, however, were the national champions in that inaugural season (1912). the other teams in the league were CD Hispano-América and  Euskeria SC.
The Cuban Football Association  was founded in 1924 and Cuba joined FIFA in 1929.

National champions:

 1912 Rovers AC 
 1913 SC Hatüey
 1914 Rovers AC
 1915 Hispano América 
 1916 La Habana FC 
 1917 Iberia 
 1918 Iberia 
 1919 Hispano América 
 1920 Hispano América 
 1921 Hispano América 
 1922 Iberia 
 1923 Iberia 
 1924 Olimpia 
 1925 Fortuna 
 1926 Real Iberia 
 1927 Juventud Asturiana 
 1928 Real Iberia 
 1929 Real Iberia 
 1930 Deportivo Español 
 1931 DC Gallego 
 1932 DC Gallego 
 1933 Juventud Asturiana 
 1934 Real Iberia 
 1935 Juventud Asturiana 
 1936 Juventud Asturiana 
 1937 DC Gallego

Internationals:

In 1930 a Cuba representative XI played Real Sociedad, losing 7-1. 



Cuba entered international football whern Havana hosted the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games.
16.03.30     Cuba    3-1  Jamaica
20.03.30     Cuba    7-0  Honduras 
23.03.30     Cuba    5-0  Honduras
30.03.30     Cuba    2-1  Costa Rica         
01.04.30     Cuba    5-2  El Salvador        
This sequence of results secured the gold medal for Cuba. 

Cuba entered the 1934 World Cup. They played a series of matches with Haiti for the right to face Mexico. The winners of the Mexico v Cuba series would play the USA for a place in the finals. 
28.01.34      Haiti    1-3  Cuba  
01.02.34      Haiti    1-1  Cuba      
04.02.34      Haiti    0-6  Cuba      
04.03.34     Mexico  3-2  Cuba 
11.03.34     Mexico  5-0  Cuba   
18.03.34     Mexico  4-1  Cuba 

Cuba's next batch of international fixtures came at  the 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games in San SalvadorEl Salvador. On this occasion Cuba could only manage bronze, sharing 3rd place with  El Salvador.
24.03.35     El Salvador   4-1  Cuba (El Salvador)        
25.03.35     Cuba   3-0    Honduras (El Salvador)        
27.03.35     Cuba   2-1    Guatemala (El Salvador)        
30.03.35     Cuba   1-6    Mexico   (El Salvador)           
31.03.35     Cuba   1-2    Costa Rica (El Salvador)