Costa Rica eyeing four candidates to lead La Sele

Costa Rica is looking at four potential candidates to fill the position of head coach of the national team amid a complicated restructuring process and preparations for the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers, top Fedefutbol officials said on Wednesday.

The President of the Costa Rican Soccer Federation, Fedefutbol, Rodolfo Villalobos, expects the position to be filled next January.

Interim Coach, Rónald González, will lead the team until then and will coach the October friendly matches against Mexico and Colombia. González coached the La Sele in the matches lost earlier this month against South Korea (2-0) and Japan (3-0).

“We’re looking at four potential candidates outside of Costa Rica,” Villalobos said when asked about the ongoing process to name the new head coach.

The chairman declined to reveal the names of the aspiring candidates. La Nación, however, reported that the list includes Luis Fernando Suárez of Colombia and Víctor Manuel Vucetich of Mexico.

Former soccer player, José Jaikel, president of the Fedefutbol’s technical commission, said the candidates’ resumes were evaluated on the basis of their academic background, coaching performance, capabilities and references.

“We looked at a number of things. Did he play soccer professionally? Have the teams he has coached in the past been successful? Is he well-known for his coaching method? Does he have ample experience in coaching?” Jaikel said.

The former head coach of the national team, Óscar Ramírez, was removed after Costa Rica’s disappointing performance in the Russia 2018 World Cup.