Three players from the Cuban men's soccer team who vanished just before a World Cup qualifying match against Canada have defected, according to FIFA, the governing body of international soccer.
The Switzerland-based organization confirmed in an email that the players have been missing since Thursday, one day before the scheduled game in Toronto.
The FIFA official would not release any further details, referring all questions to Cuban officials.
The disappearance of the players left Cuban coach Alexander Gonzalez with only 11 players on his team - and no subs - for the qualifier. Canada, ranked 61st in the world, defeated Cuba 3-0 in the match.
He told reporters Friday that a missing fourth player had fallen ill and couldn't make the game.
Gonzalez lamented the departures of the other three.
"As with any Cuban sport team that travels around the world, they're all chasing the American dream," he said. "And it's difficult to try to keep the team together. ... Obviously, it's a difficult situation for the team, and it's tough for me to talk about it."
