6 Cuban footballers defect in U.S.

Havana - Six Cuban football players from a national youth team defected in New York, Cuba's state-run daily Granma said.

The team was on its way to the U.S. Virgin Islands to play a qualifying match for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.

During a stopover in New York, six members of the 23-and-under squad deserted, the newspaper said Friday.

That game was July 17 against the U.S. Virgin Islands team. Cuba won 3-2.

Granma called the defections "disgraceful."

In June, four Cuban players defected in the U.S. during a tournament called the Copa de Oro.

Granma said that in the past 17 years, a total of 39 football players from various national teams have defected abroad.