Cuban Professional Baseball Federation demands "support and respect from the community"

In the middle of this month, the news circulated that the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation (Fepcube) had been officially approved in the United States, and in the note published inyour Instagram account one could read that it would be an organization oriented to"represent Cuban baseball at the national and international level."

With respect to its predecessor, the Association of Cuban Professional Baseball Players, several experts consider that Fepcube is a better organized variant and, therefore, much more promising. To find out a little more about its intentions, CiberCuba contacted its president Mandy Llanes.

Current Chairman of the Hialeah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Llanes was born in Caraballo - a small town in Havana -, he has spent his adult life in South Florida and, as he assures, "I have always been committed to giving back to the community everything it has given me."

Previously he came to lead the now defunct Federation of Cuban Professional Baseball Players - founded in 1980 and active until 2008 -, and it was precisely that experience of his that motivated several renowned former baseball players (Brayan Peña, Hansel Izquierdo, Orlando 'Duque' Hernández, Edilberto Oropesa) will be interested in contacting him.

In the end, a mutual friend served as a bridge to create the bond and Llanes confessed to them that "he would be delighted to collaborate", although he admits that the privilege of being named president later turned out to be "undeserved". Electronically, these were his answers to the questions on this site.

Who is part of the Fepcube board?

--The vice presidents are the 'Duque', Izquierdo and Peña, and Oropesa, Bárbaro Garbey, Jorge Luis Toca and Michael Tejera will serve as directors. Meanwhile, Annia Izquierdo will be the secretary. First of all we are Cubans and then, baseball players. We always keep in mind that our motto is to fight for the freedom of Cuba and do our bit to make the dream of being able to play baseball in a free Cuba come true.

What is the fundamental goal of this federation?

-Our purpose is to launch an organization dedicated to promoting and developing Cuban professional baseball, both nationally and internationally. We seek to unify the community of baseball players and the baseball family, since once you enter this fraternity it becomes a brotherhood for life. We are also responsible for representing the interests of freedom. These are the two most important points for which we exist: to unify our family of baseball players and the Cuban community, all under the umbrella of baseball. That's what we want to achieve.

Does Fepcube plan to help baseball players residing in Cuba materially or in any other way?

-All of us are Cubans, and although we do not have the capacity to do everything we would like, we will do everything within our power. We have many directions and functions that we will take on. But before we can do anything in that sense, we must earn the credibility and respect of the Cuban community, which we are going to serve.

"We will need a lot of support, since we must ensure our economic stability to be able to carry out everything we have in mind. Sometimes what we want to do can be achieved when circumstances allow it, and that is something we must be clear about.

"Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that we want and are going to do many things, but we need to organize. We have just begun and we need to obtain the respect and support of the community at large, of elected officials at the local and national level, so that recognize our work and know that we are here to do good and collaborate.

"There is no concrete answer to your question because our answer is that we will be here to help the Cuban community, the baseball community and to see a free Cuba."

Fepcube islegalized in the United States but has no jurisdiction in Cuba. Are there intentions to bring closer positions with the Cuban Baseball Federation?

-We really do not have it nor do we want to have it, because we are not going to have any type of relationship with the illegitimate government that exists in Cuba. Our focus is on what we must do here and comply with the laws of the United States. There are limitations on what we can do outside, but we always have Cuba and what we want to achieve in mind.

"In this sense we can use the metaphor of 'a well-defined line in the sand'. Without a free Cuba, there will be no rapprochement."