Costa Rican Soccer Federation Plotting Its Revenge for Snow Game
By Mike Cardillo
Maybe not all of the Central American nation is upset (that would be quite the assumption), but its soccer federation certainly still steaming about last month’s World Cup qualifier played in Denver.
You remember that game, the one played on a Friday night in a driving snowstorm.
Even if you’re the most ardent member of the American Outlaws, you’d have to admit the game probably should have been abandoned, yet the ref and match officials let it go through — leading to plenty of sour grapes from the Costa Rican camp following its 1-0 loss.
Costa Rica filed an appeal with FIFA that the game shouldn’t have gone forward, but was summarily denied.
Tuesday it appears Costa Rica is trying to move forward on its retaliation for the snow game. Costa Rican federation president Eduardo Li went on the radio (note: this is via Google translation), saying he’d like for the Sept. 6 qualifier against the U.S. to be played at the hostile Saprissa Stadium rather than the slightly less hostile National Stadium.
"“The voice of the people is the voice of God, and if people want us to play there (in Tibás) we play at Saprissa against the United States.”"
Li has a reason for wanting the game there since Americans and the Saprissa haven’t been a good mix.
In qualifiers for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, the U.S. has fallen to Costa Rica at the Saprissa — allowing three goals in each match.
Numerous MLS teams have played there against the so-called “Purple Monster” in CONCACAF tournaments also faring poorly in the process.
Saprissa’s artificial FieldTurf surface is the main culprit that gets blamed.
And it’s also why Costa Rica would need to get an allowance from FIFA to play a World Cup qualifier there. (There appear to be other regulations/improvements necessary for the Saprissa to host the game as well.)
After three games of the CONCACAF “Hex”, the U.S. and Costa Rica are even on four points, one behind Panama with seven qualifiers left to play.
Nothing like a little CONCACAF intrigue, is there?
One thing is for certain, wherever the Sept. 6 match is played we can count on terrible officiating.
[via Luis Bueno]