[sam9ball]

http://news.yahoo.com/fifa-gets-cost...2067--sow.html

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA is studying a protest from the Costa Rica soccer federation, which wants a World Cup qualifier against the United States replayed after losing 1-0 in a snowstorm.
"FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course," the governing body said Monday in a statement.
The Costa Rican federation said Sunday that the "physical integrity" of players and officials was affected, "ball movement became impossible" and field markings were not visible in Friday's match played in Commerce City, Colo.
The federation also urged FIFA to punish match officials, including referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador, for allowing the match to proceed.
For the protest to have a chance of succeeding, it must meet specific requirements stated in the 2014 World Cup Regulations.
One clause says that when a field becomes unplayable, the protesting team's captain "shall immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team."
Costa Rica also 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, "otherwise they shall be disregarded," the regulations state. FIFA had yet to determine whether Costa Rica had followed those procedures.
U.S. captain Clint Dempsey scored in the 16th minute to lift his team to second place in the six-team CONCACAF region qualifying group after two matches. Costa Rica is last.
The top three teams qualify directly for the tournament in Brazil, and the fourth-place team faces New Zealand in a playoff.

[acarmelo1]

That game has to be replayed, or atleats the refs and comisioner suspended. Game should had never been started.

[Bcatswin]

[tto827]

I was just about to post this, that's crazy.


Seems like Costa Rican players wanted to keep playing, so not sure if the protest is going to go anywhere.

[acarmelo1]

I was just about to post this, that's crazy.


Seems like Costa Rican players wanted to keep playing, so not sure if the protest is going to go anywhere.

I was reading the story on the costa rican newspaper http://www.nacion.com/ they say that the costa rican players and coach asked for the game to be stopped, but the usa coach insisted for the game to continue.

[tto827]

I was reading the story on the costa rican newspaper http://www.nacion.com/ they say that the costa rican players and coach asked for the game to be stopped, but the usa coach insisted for the game to continue.

I've heard some other things elsewhere, easy to claim it after you lose. Who knows though, they probably did complain.

[MoneyLineDawg]

Costa Rican players only started bitching AFTER they lost.....from all accounts the players wanted to continue the game

The US doesn't complain when they have to go down to the central american countries in 100+ degree heat and on garbage fields like they did against Honduras last month

It's called a homefield advantage......

It is not the US team's fault that the officials played the game, what's done is done

[acarmelo1]

I dont think the game will be replayed, but I think that the officials will get suspended. Game should had never been started.

[lakerboy]

Judging from the pic the game should not have been played.

[MoneyLineDawg]

Judging from the pic the game should not have been played.

Maybe not, but like I said before, it is not the US's fault

Punish the decision makers, not the team

What if Costa Rica won the game?

[Nova99]

The US doesn't complain when they have to go down to the central american countries in 100+ degree heat and on garbage fields like they did against Honduras last month

It's called a homefield advantage......

Personally I didnt see this as an advantage for the US, there were several chances late where CR couldve tied this. Given CR's poor record in the US i was surprised the us wanted this to go on instead of playing on a clean field. Cold, maybe some flakes I can understand but the game deteriorated to kicking the ball as far from your goal as you can. It was really risky letting this game go on.

[opie1988]

I think the bottom line is thus.....

Fukk Costa Rica.:


Costa Rican soccer

[MoneyLineDawg]

Personally I didnt see this as an advantage for the US, there were several chances late where CR couldve tied this. Given CR's poor record in the US i was surprised the us wanted this to go on instead of playing on a clean field. Cold, maybe some flakes I can understand but the game deteriorated to kicking the ball as far from your goal as you can. It was really risky letting this game go on.

Either way, what's done is done

Costa Rican players have probably never even seen snow

[Nova99]

Either way, what's done is done

Costa Rican players have probably never even seen snow

well some of the cr players plays/played in Scandinavia... plus us soccer shuts down in the winter month, its not as if many of our players ever played in snow.

agreed what is done is done, fifa aint gonna change crap, the team they wanted to win won.

[William Walters]

Costa Rican players only started bitching AFTER they lost.....from all accounts the players wanted to continue the game

The US doesn't complain when they have to go down to the central american countries in 100+ degree heat and on garbage fields like they did against Honduras last month

It's called a homefield advantage......

It is not the US team's fault that the officials played the game, what's done is done

Fukkin crybabies protest AFTER they lose now claiming otherwise.

bitches

[acarmelo1]

BTW it is US Soccer fault. Why did they schedule the game on Denver when they know is Winter Season? That is just stupid, I mean with many other places they could play like: Miami, Texas, California.

[High3rEl3m3nt]

Whoa, I watched this game and both sides wanted to continue. The ref wanted to call the game and both teams were adamant about seeing it through. If Costa Rica refused to play on, I guarantee the game would have been called.

[MoneyLineDawg]

BTW it is US Soccer fault. Why did they schedule the game on Denver when they know is Winter Season? That is just stupid, I mean with many other places they could play like: Miami, Texas, California.

High elevation since they play at the Azteca tomorrow

Homefield advantage.....Cold

[RubberKettle]

USA needed a win badly. Must make the top 3 and a trip to Azteca is looming tomorrow.

[milwaukee mike]

it's a tough situation if you're the us OR costa rica

if you refuse to play you look bad
if you protest and still play you look bad

officials are 100% to blame, turned the game into a circus

[acarmelo1]

Well when u guys come to play on Panama, we will send you to our stadium on Darien
Homefield advantage: Heat, Humidity, Insects and bad terrain.

[MoneyLineDawg]

Well when u guys come to play on Panama, we will send you to our stadium on Darien
Homefield advantage: Heat, Humidity, Insects and bad terrain.

The US deals with this shit routinely playing in the CONCACAF......nothing new

[MUHerd37]

Both teams played in the same shit conditions. Costa Rica needs to stop being a bunch of pussies. Had they stopped the match, the game would have to been played again within 48 hours. Neither team wanted that because both teams play tomorrow. Sack up Costa Rica!

[acarmelo1]

The US deals with this shit routinely playing in the CONCACAF......nothing new

Well when you play on Panama you always play on this stadium, and always on night time.
Always on the night, cause we want everybody to watch the game and the stadium to fill up. Since almost everybody on Panama works from 8am to 5pm. You will never play on Panama at 2pm with the heat and stuff. We care more about filling up the stadium and sell tickets XD

[MoneyLineDawg]

Well when you play on Panama you always play on this stadium, and always on night time.
Always on the night, cause we want everybody to watch the game and the stadium to fill up. Since almost everybody on Panama works from 8am to 5pm. You will never play on Panama at 2pm with the heat and stuff. We care more about filling up the stadium and sell tickets XD

Yeah, not all of it is terrible.....but sometimes the US plays in ridiculous heat on shitty fields

We can schedule our national games wherever we please, and so can any other country.....If the conditions are too harsh that is up to the officials, nothing more

[swordsandtequila]

Whoa, I watched this game and both sides wanted to continue. The ref wanted to call the game and both teams were adamant about seeing it through. If Costa Rica refused to play on, I guarantee the game would have been called.

100% correct. I watched the game also and it was obvious both teams wanted to continue. If I recall correctly, somewhere around the 54 minute mark the ref contemplated stopping the game and both teams argued against it. If anything the game shouldn't have been played, but once committed play it out. As stated, they chose Denver to try and mirror the conditions (altitude) for Mexico match tomorrow.

[sam9ball]

US was trying to show Costa Rica how to play football the American way. wait a minute wrong kinda Futball.

“Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep us from playing Football"

[abadboycali]

haha yeah , crying babies again ..lolz ... if they didnt want to play in the condition like that , they could protest to stop the game rite there... but protest after the match, when ur team lost... haha thats call sore loser .... common man =))

[goblue12]

I would have GLADLY cooperated and rescheduled the game another day if either of the teams spoke up about the conditions pre-game. But when it's 1-0 the other team and you are just now coming out in protest, I call sour grapes.

It's not like that Costa Rican team has never seen or played in snow before. Sure it's not in their climate, but 8 of their 11 starters in that match play in England, Scandanavia, or MLS.

[PolishSensation]

Back in the 80's Canada used to play it's qualifiers in the coldest part of the country. The Central Americans were not prepared. One of the reasons Canada qualified for the 86 WC.

[cmh329]

At the time the ref stopped to talk to both teams, Costa Rica was getting most of the scoring chances. They thought they definitely had a chance to equalize and steal a point, they didn't and now are protesting. The captain or coach must tell the ref during or immediately after the match they are protesting, according to reports this didn't happen and thus the protest will not be upheld by FIFA.

[DarkNite]

I dont think the game will be replayed, but I think that the officials will get suspended. Game should had never been started.

I think the officials did not know what to do, they supposed to stop the game. I saw on TV, oh, gosh, how they play, could not see anything.

[hurricane1091]

Pussies. Don't tread on the U.S.