Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel

Even if the World Cup (WC) is over, I am still in a football mood. I wanted to talk about something that involves football in Haiti and while I was doing my research I found a subject that involved Sports, History and Politics.

How To Get Away With Murder

Today’s article is about Joseph Edouard Gaetjens. Notice the last name? Yes.

Joe Gaetjens is my grandfather's cousin and even though the end of this story is very sad, I take a lot a pride in sharing it with you. Joe was placed among 100 players who marked the history of the World Cup.

Joe started playing soccer around the age of 12, which is considered a late entry since kids in Haiti get initiated into soccer by the age of 6. At the age of 14, he got in a club called “L’Etoile Haïtienne” and won 2 championships, one in 1942 and 1944.

Soon, Joe realizes his soccer career cant help him pay all his bills. Fortunately for him, the Haitian government grants him a scholarship so he can study at the University of Columbia, in New York.

Joe gets to New York, school is working well but he wants to play football, as a result, he enters the “Brookhattan Club” from “American Superleague”. His success will get some people’s attention, with the title of the best scorer of the 1949-1950 season, he got the chance to be recruited in the American National Team.

Right in time for the 1950 WC on the way.

It’s time for the England vs USA game, Joe is playing. England is a strong team and they are putting the pressure, regardless, the score is 1-0 for the USA during the first half, Joe scored.

It only took this one goal for Joe to make history, everyone was talking about it. No one would believe the score, they could not believe the US would be able to score against England. This WC ended for the US, due to them losing against Chili 5-2.

Joe Gaetjens will have the opportunity to participate in the 1954 WC, 4 years later, in Switzerland.

He then got married in 1955 and later had 3 children. Joe said goodbye to his football career forever but the love still very present in his heart made him built a training center for kids aspiring to pursue a football career of their own.

Now, this is the part where we get into the Politics aspect of this story. Joe’s father got married to Léonie Déjoie. During the years of 1956 and 1957, Haiti was politically unstable (shockers) and elections were coming up.
The population had the choice to vote for Francois Duvalier, also known as “Papa Doc”, Louis Déjoie, the family of Joe’s Mother and Clément Jumelle.

They voted for “Papa Doc” and the Déjoie family considered enemies of Duvalier’s had to exile because “Papa Doc” was coming for them. Anyone who knows their Haitian History knows this president did not play.

Joe’s family left for the Dominican Republic, however, he stayed because he wasn't interested in politics and felt like this situation had nothing to do with him. One day, two “National Security Volunteers” also known as “Tonton Makout” went in Joe’s office and took him to a car.

July 8th, 1964, was the last time people ever saw Joseph Edouard Gaetjens.

Rumour has it that Joe was taken to “Fort-Dimanche” or “Fò Lanmò”, in Creole, which literally means “Death Fort”. The story says the one and only Francois Duvalier pulled the trigger. Hows that for History?

Even if the Haitian society never honoured Joe, the United States placed him in the “American Football Hall of Fame”.

In 2005, there was a movie about Joe. In 2010, one of Joe’s son wrote a book called:

“The shot heard around the world - The Joe Gaetjens story”.

In 2014, the book “The Game of their lives” explained the story of the USA vs England match.

Source: Emmanuel Bellevue, Le Nouvelliste.

I am currently looking for these books because I want further details regarding this story. I find it interesting to know that one of my family members made an impact in both Football and Haitian history. I take very much pride in that and I also feel some kind of sadness towards how everything ended for him.

There are so many stories like this one in Haiti and I think there should be a way to include them in our education programs. I feel like everyone would be interested in learning how to get away with murder ... It’s actually pretty easy guys, you just have to be the president.

Thank you for reading this article.

Here is the Creole version of this post. Hope you enjoy.

This was “Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel”, “How To Get Away With Murder” edition, Written by Tiff.