By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – FIFA are studying a demand by Costa Rica to replay last week’s controversial World Cup qualifier against the United States – played in a snowstorm. While Northern Ireland’s game with Russia was twice postponed because of adverse weather conditions, the CONCACAF qualifier went ahead with the USA winning 1-0 in Colorado.
“FIFA will analyse the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course,” football’s world governing body said in a statement.
Costa Rican coach Jorge Luis Pinto said the match was an “embarrassment to football”. With so much riding on the fixture, his federation contended that the “physical integrity” of both the players and officials was affected, “ball movement became impossible” and field markings were invisible. “The complete opposite happened in Europe where the snow forced the match between Northern Ireland and Russia in Belfast to be postponed,” it added in a separate statement.
FIFA was urged to sanction referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador for allowing the match to proceed. “We don’t want to create false expectations but we are fighting for rights which we think we violated during this match,” Costa Rican FA treasurer Rodolfo Villalobos said.
For the protest to have a chance of succeeding, it must meet specific requirements stated in the 2014 World Cup Regulations. Costa Rica had to file written protests with the match coordinator within two hours of the final whistle, and to FIFA’s administration by registered letter within 24 hours.
US captain Clint Dempsey scored in the 16th minute to lift his team to second place in the six-team CONCACAF qualifying group after two matches, a crucial win ahead of today’s showdown with arch-rivals Mexico. Costa Rica remain bottom. The top three qualify for the finals in Brazil, with the fourth-placed team facing New Zealand in a playoff.
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