A video published on Instagram by the Cuban content creator Yoe Villares Fernández shows a group of young people in an urban courtyard in Cuba trying to repair an old soccer ball with a syringe and raw egg white, in a scene that starkly summarizes the precariousness faced by sports on the Island.
The clip, titled "The Football Balloon Experiment," dates back to March and has garnered 467,000 views.
In it, several young people can be seen: one holds a worn-out ball while another injects egg white with a syringe, amidst jokes and laughter from the group.
"People will think it's a lie, we're performing surgery on the ball," Yoe said.
"Fuck what we are going through here. Not even a football. That's my fault for coming from the United States and not bringing a ball," he added, referring to his return to the country last December.
At that moment, the young man sparked controversy by announcing his voluntary return to Cuba from the United States, claiming that in that country migrants are treated "like criminals"; and although he admitted that there is "hunger" and "needs" on the Island, he stated that he was happy to be with his family.
Egg balloon?
The so-called "egg trick" involves injecting raw egg white into a punctured balloon to allow the protein to form an internal membrane that seals the leak. It can work for small leaks and last for weeks, but it is not a permanent or professional solution.
It is a sacrifice, as the scarcity and high cost of eggs in Cuba have turned it into a food only accessible to the most privileged.
Still, it is the only accessible alternative for those who cannot afford new patches or balls. In fact, buying a new soccer ball in Cuba is an unattainable luxury for most. It costs over 20 USD in sales groups on social media, in a country where the average salary is around 6,930 Cuban pesos per month, roughly 13 dollars at the informal exchange rate.
Neither football nor anything else
The scene is not an isolated anecdote, but a symptom of a structural sports crisis exacerbated by power outages and shortages that the Cuban regime has been unable to resolve.
The Cuban Football Federation only imported 1,200 soccer balls for the entire country in 2024-2025, while the estimated need is 5,000 for national and youth leagues, due to a shortage of foreign currency.
The deterioration of sports facilities is equally alarming. More than 50% of Cuban sports facilities are in poor structural condition.
The Juan Abrantes Stadium at the University of Havana was documented in March with cracked stands, overgrown vegetation, and its swimming pool turned into a dumpster. Coaches like Reniel Bonora, director of the under-20 team, began establishing makeshift factories to produce cleats and handmade balls due to the complete lack of imported supplies.
" My sport: survival," wrote Cuban users ironically on social media, when the state-run site Cubadebate asked its readers to send a photo practicing their favorite sport, and accompanied the message with a photo of children playing soccer in the street.
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