FEDEFUTBOL official: FIFA scandal won’t affect Costa Rica’s upcoming matches

The acting president of the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), Jorge Hidalgo Vega, on Wednesday said at a press conference that he does not expect today’s FIFA corruption scandal to have any impact on upcoming matches involving Costa Rican squads.

Vega said FEDEFUTBOL President Eduardo Li, who was arrested in Zurich on Wednesday morning on corruption charges, “is not a football player,” and that “because his current situation is personal, [his arrest] is not related to the [Costa Rican] federation.”

Hidalgo described the news of Li’s arrest as shocking, and “like the Turrialba Volcano finally erupted on all of us.”

But he insisted it would not affect any plans for the National Team’s upcoming matches. “La Sele,” as the Costa Rican men’s team is known, is scheduled to play friendlies against Spain and Mexico in coming days in preparation for Costa Rica’s participation at CONCACAF’s Gold Cup in July.

The Women’s National Team also is scheduled to participate for the first time at FIFA’s World Cup in Canada from June 6 to July 5.

Both teams held practices as scheduled on Wednesday morning at Proyecto Goal, FEDEFUTBOL’s headquarters north of the capital, where Hidalgo held the press conference.

Regarding Li’s legal troubles, Hidalgo said he had little information.

“We were told that they [the suspects] were offered voluntary extradition to the United States and that all of them rejected it,” he said.

FEDEFUTBOL’s new top official also said no other members of the federation’s leadership are involved in the case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Read all about the FIFA corruption scandal here