The same old story. The Cuban Baseball Federation (FCBS) has released a statement attempting to sell us the same old story: that they are victims of a discriminatory policy, that the United States government is preventing them from competing on equal terms, that the entire world is conspiring against them. The script is more than worn out. In a statement released on September 5, 2025, repeats word for word what we hear every time an international event approaches.
They talk about “unfair treatment,” “bureaucratic maneuvers,” and “political victimization,” when the reality is that they know perfectly well how this process works. For the previous Classic, the OFAC license arrived on December 22, and the 50-player preliminary roster was not submitted until January 6. In other words, there was no real rush or deadline for Cuba, because MLB itself understood the situation.
So why this statement now, on September 5th, four months before the date OFAC approved their participation in 2023? Quite simple: because the official narrative needs external enemies to justify its own lack of transparency. Cuba insists on “turning the page,” but the reality is that it’s still repeating the same story it did 60 years ago. Nothing has changed. Meanwhile, the players who should really matter—those who play in the Major Leagues, in Japan, in Mexico, in the Dominican Republic—are caught in the middle of the political circus.
The statement speaks of “rights won on the field,” but omits the fact that on the field, most of the best Cuban players today have no ties to the FCB. And those are the ones fans want to see. The World Baseball Classic is not the Party Congress; it’s an international sporting event and tournaments aren’t won with statements or victimhood, but with serious management and transparency.
But Cuba insists on repeating the same role of martyr, because turning any obstacle into propaganda is the only thing left. Meanwhile, what should be a technical and sporting process ends up becoming another stage for cheap politics, with the Federation more interested in blaming others than in assuming its own responsibility.