Alessio Raballo, who was born in Italy, and Camilo Pinillo, born in Belgium, were called up by national team coach Yunielys Castillo to face Trinidad and Tobago
14ymedio, Havana, 11 March 2025 — Alessio Raballo and Camilo Pinillo, two soccer players born off the Island but with Cuban parents are invited to join the national team that will face Trinidad and Tobago on March 21 and 25, for a ticket to the 2025 Gold Cup. The official press considers this a “more than present hope” that actually demonstrates the unbridled loss of Cuban athletes.
As Andy Lans pointed out on Facebook, this call “breaks with the political schematic of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) of only having athletes born in Cuba or trained under its system.”
Raballo, whose mother is Cuban, was highlighted as the youth striker who “has been summoned with Torino FC to a Serie A match, the highest division of Italian soccer.” The official media Jit acknowledged that the 18-year-old, who currently plays for Parma FC, has a wide media interest. “It is positive that fans and the specialized press are interested in an under-20 player before he debuts and not the other way around, as has generally happened with the calls of coach Yunielys Castillo,” it added.
However, the GolCuba platform on YouTube warns that the call to Raballo should not “generate so many expectations.” The Italian was not a starter with his team in the Spring League, a youth tournament, in which “only 20% manage to obtain a contract in professional clubs. The rest go to amateur teams or just leave soccer.” But, it clarified, “we must not miss the opportunity to secure him.”
Pinillo, whose father is Cuban, says Jit, “is a lanky central defender who plays in Belgian soccer and was acclaimed by the fans. This time he has the coach’s approval.”
The closest antecedent in soccer of someone not born on the Island dates back to the convocation in 1966 of Antonio dos Santos. The Angolan athlete was studying on the Island and was asked to join the national team that “won the bronze medal at the Central Caribbean Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” recalled journalist Miguel Hernández Méndez. He also participated in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg (1967).
The national team coach, Yunielys Castillo, completed the call with goalkeepers Raico Arrozarena, Ismel Morgado and Yurdy Hodelín. For defense he called Carlos Vázquez, Yosel Piedra, Dariel Morejón, lvis Casanova, Alejandro Delgado and Karel Pérez.
In midfield, Pedro Cueto Bravo stands out for the official media. He was fundamental in the containment work in the defeat of Saint Kitts and Nevis and should be a starter next to Romario Torres, although he will also count on Karel Espino and Rey Ángel Rodríguez.
Anier Casanova and Daniel Filungo Díaz are others called up by the coach. The offensive weight will fall on Onel Hernández and Maikel Reyes.
On March 21, the first match will be played at the Antonio Maceo stadium in Santiago de Cuba, and the second on the 25th at the Ato Boldon Stadium of the Soca Warriors. The Island has participated 12 times in the Gold Cup but has only won five of its 40 games, never more than one in a tournament. Its best position was a fourth place in 1971.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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