Costa Rica’s men’s national team is facing another setback at the start of Fernando “Bocha” Batista’s rebuild, after three players were removed from camp ahead of upcoming friendlies against Colombia and England. The Costa Rican Soccer Federation first confirmed that Alejandro Bran was no longer part of the squad for the June matches, saying the conditions were not in place for him to continue with the group.
A few hours later, the federation announced that Kenneth Vargas and Warren Madrigal had also been left out of the current training camp. The FCRF said the decision followed internal guidelines for national team players and stressed that discipline and respect for team rules are central to representing the country.
The decisions came after reports of an incident in Los Yoses, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, where a vehicle apparently linked to Bran sustained several bullet impacts. The Judicial Investigation Agency opened an ex officio investigation after a report from Administrative Police officers. The OIJ said it could not release more details because the case remains under investigation.
The timing is especially damaging for La Sele. Costa Rica is scheduled to face Colombia on June 1 at El Campín in Bogotá and England on June 10 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, part of a high-profile window for a team trying to reset after missing the 2026 World Cup.
Batista, who was appointed Costa Rica’s head coach on February 28, inherited a program still dealing with the fallout from a failed qualifying campaign. Miguel “Piojo” Herrera was dismissed after Costa Rica missed the 2026 World Cup, ending a run of consecutive tournament appearances that had stretched back to 2014.
The latest episode also renews scrutiny on Bran, who had already been involved in a March incident that cost him a previous national team call-up. Reports at the time said the midfielder was arrested after allegedly accelerating a motorcycle during the early morning hours and causing excessive noise near a condominium. Videos circulated on social media showing him in a heated exchange with police officers. Alajuelense later fined him and suspended him for one match.
Alajuelense has now taken further action, announcing the immediate separation of Bran and Vargas from the club after reviewing the latest incident. Madrigal, meanwhile, plays for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
For Batista. his first months in charge have already moved beyond tactics and squad selection into a test of authority. The Argentine coach has said that a national team player must meet expectations both on and off the field, and that discipline is not negotiable.
Costa Rica’s matches against Colombia and England were supposed to offer a first serious look at Batista’s project against World Cup-level opposition. Instead, La Sele enters the window with a damaged squad, a police investigation in the background and a familiar question hanging over the program: how quickly can Costa Rican football restore order after one of its worst periods in recent memory?
