WILLEMSTAD – “Hosting international football matches to see the Blue Wave team in Curaçao is not a profitable venture.” That is the message from Gilbert Martina, president of the Federashon Futbol Kòrsou (FFK), the Curaçao football federation.
Martina explained that staging international matches on the island comes with significant financial and technical challenges. When Curaçao invites another national team to play, the local organizers are responsible for covering the costs associated with hosting that team. These expenses, he said, quickly add up and place a heavy financial burden on the federation.
He also pointed out that current international football standards increasingly require matches to be played on natural grass. Many visiting teams insist on playing surfaces that closely resemble World Cup conditions, which further limits options and increases preparation and maintenance costs at local venues.
According to Martina, even a sold-out match at the Ergilio Hato Stadium, with all 10,000 tickets sold to support Blue Wave, does not result in a financial gain for the FFK. On the contrary, he said the federation would still incur losses.
The FFK president stressed that while playing international matches at home is important for sporting development and national pride, the public should be aware of the financial realities involved. Supporting Blue Wave on home soil remains valuable from a sporting perspective, but it should not be viewed as a source of profit for Curaçao’s football federation.
