Costa Rica’s Saprissa in an Uproar

Hernan Medford, Saprissa’s extoverted and hot tempered manager is steaming mad at the Costa Rican referee Luis Roman for disregarding an “obvious offside”, which led to the goal which allowed Toluca to cut the lead to 2-1 and ultimately to deprive his team from a chance in the finals. In fact three of the four committee referees reviewing the play in question agree with him that the Toluca player “actively distracted the referee, and the Saprissa defense, by being obviously offside, while the player engaged in the play, and scoring the goal was onside”. An interesting question in itself. I guess theyhave to decide if this kind of “cheating” is a legitimate expression of skill or an underhanded shenanigan. Hmmm…

Medford now is cocksure that Saprissa will be champions, he “promises” it. “I said that we’ll take it, and we will take it, with or without a final!” This last as reference to the somewhat odd arrangement of the Costa Rican championship where the winter champion, in this case Saprissa, meets the spring champion in two game final; so there wouldn’t be a final if Saprissa were to be champions of both seasons.