VOA常速英语2008年-Cuban Soccer Players Defect to US

By Brian Wagner
Miami
13 March 2008

As many as seven members of a Cuban national soccer team are reported to have defected in the United States shortly after playing a match in the U.S. state of Florida. VOA's Brian Wagner has more from Miami.

Five of the players said they abandoned their team at a hotel in Tampa Tuesday night and plan to seek political asylum¹ in the United States. The coach and teammates from Cuba's under-23 team said the five disappeared shortly after playing a qualification match for the upcoming summer Olympics in Beijing.

The Miami Herald² online publication has reported two more Cuban players defected Wednesday, bringing the total to seven. The paper says its information comes from sources close to the players.

The five players who deserted³ the squad⁴ Tuesday, told U.S. media they hope to establish themselves in the country and play professional soccer. A local team, Miami FC, said they will try out for it.

Groups such as the Cuban American National Foundation in Miami often seek to help Cuban performers and doctors to defect while they are on missions outside the country.

The group's human rights director, Omar Lopez Montenegro, says they reached out to the Cuban soccer team during the trip but have not contacted the five.

He said many take the decision to defect to expand the opportunities for their career and their families.

"When you are an athlete or a performer in Cuba, you are kind of a slave to the Cuban government. For example, athletes cannot negotiate their [own] contracts," he said.

Last December, a group of Cuban ballet dancers defected during a trip to Mexico, and a top Cuban television personality sought asylum after a visit to Canada. All of them are now pursuing their careers in Miami.

U.S. law allows for Cuban immigrants who arrive on U.S. soil to apply for residency after living in the country for one year.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

3 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

4 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。