Last update 24 March, 2013 by Julio Muñoz
The Costa Rican Soccer Federation (Fedefootball) asked FIFA to replay the match by qualifiers last Friday in which he fell by 1-0 versus the United States, due to the heavy snowfall that prevented the development of the commitment in suitable conditions.
The president of Fedefutbol, Eduardo Lee, declared to the Technical Zone program, of the Chanel 7 from Costa Rican television, that the complaint to FIFA is accompanied by videos and was filed within the regulation time of 24 hours after the game is over.
“We have already submitted the formal complaint to the FIFA general secretary within the 24 regulation hours. We laid out the facts, We attached videos and made the request that the game be rescheduled”, expressed Li.
The manager added that Costa Rica has also requested “disciplinary sanctions” against the party commissioner, Víctor Daniel from Granada, as well as for the referee quartet, headed by Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar, because they did not suspend the match.
“All the rules of the game were broken. This can not be, it's a barbarity. While a sector was being played at the same time machinery and people came in to clean the lines”, stated Li.
The manager said that within two hours after the match, he filed a verbal complaint and defended the actions of the Federation and the coaching staff., Because if Costa Rica had refused to play the game, it was exposed to sanctions such as disqualification from the qualifying rounds..
“We were fighting, talking to the commissioner, whose negligence was absolute. There are really embarrassing situations that we cannot accept”, Li commented.
The game was played in Denver, Colorado, in sub-zero temperatures and under heavy snowfall that impeded visibility, constantly covered the lines of the field and made it difficult to roll the ball.
Costa Rican players complained that snow covered their ankles, that it was difficult to see beyond fifteen meters and that it was impossible to play with the ball on the ground.
The Costa Rican midfielder of the English Fulham Bryan Ruiz said on his website that the match “it looked like a mejenga”, as informal parties between friends or neighborhood are known in Costa Rica.
“We are at a national team level, playing a tie, it is not possible for these things to happen. How is it possible that it was played under that snowfall! Could not run, pass the ball, you couldn't see the court lines”, Ruiz expressed.
The annoyance has also been seen in the fans who on social networks have expressed from ideas to generate a hostile environment for the Americans when they return the visit in September, even an initiative to wear black in next Tuesday's game against Jamaica in San José, in protest.
Eduardo Li stated that “you have to pay with the same currency, but without violence or aggressiveness”, sino, más bien, “that the public support and make themselves felt before the rivals”.
After two games played in the final hexagonal of the Concacaf towards the World Cup in Brazil 2014, Costa Rica is last with only one point after drawing in Panama on 6 February and fall on Friday in the United States.
Next Tuesday Costa Rica will host Jamaica, party for which the 35 thousand tickets to the National Stadium, from San jose.