Costa Rican soccer is facing one of its most serious integrity cases in recent years after three players were suspended for 15 years over an attempted match-fixing scheme. The Costa Rican Soccer Federation’s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned Hansell Arauz Ovares, Henry Cooper Bennett and Pablo Fabián Rodríguez Esquivel for the illicit manipulation of matches and competitions.
The Legal Department notified affiliated leagues of the sanctions in a letter dated June 29, and the bans took effect June 25. The punishment bars the players from all activity connected to federated soccer in Costa Rica. That includes playing, coaching, serving as team officials, working on committees, holding directorial posts or taking any other role tied to the sport.
The case centers on an alleged attempt to create a match-fixing scheme in 2025 while the three players were with San Carlos FC in the Liga de Ascenso. Reports said the attempted manipulation did not succeed and that the match itself was not fixed.
Rodríguez Esquivel also received a separate additional sanction for another alleged attempt in 2026, when he was not attached to a club. Reports reviewed Tuesday differ on the exact combined length of that second punishment, so the confirmed point is that all three received the 15-year sanction in the San Carlos FC case.
The sanctions immediately raised questions about whether Costa Rican soccer could face consequences from FIFA. For now, there is no indication of punishment against the country or the federation. The case instead appears to show that Costa Rica’s integrity system is investigating and sanctioning cases rather than ignoring warning signs.
FIFA’s integrity framework encourages national federations to investigate suspected match manipulation and impose disciplinary measures when warranted. FIFA generally becomes more directly involved when credible alerts are not investigated, when federations fail to act, or when broader integrity failures are detected.
The three sanctioned players were part of a difficult period for San Carlos FC. The club left the northern region and played home matches at Rafael Bolaños Stadium in Alajuela, then finished the accumulated Liga de Ascenso table with only 18 points from 32 matches. The team recorded four wins, six draws and 22 losses, with a goal difference of minus 56, before falling toward Linafa’s amateur structure.
Arauz is the most recognizable name in the case. The 36-year-old winger is remembered by many fans for scoring the decisive goal that gave Saprissa its 30th national championship in a final against Alajuelense. Over his career, Arauz also played for Santos, Cartaginés, Saprissa, Erciyesspor in Turkey, Carmelita, Golfito, Grecia, Turrialba FC, Guadalupe FC and San Carlos FC.
Cooper’s career included time with Limón FC, Jicaral, Pérez Zeledón, Puntarenas FC, Golfito, Barrio México, Turrialba, Aserrí, Limón Black Star and San Carlos FC, as well as Murciélagos FC in Mexico. Rodríguez, a goalkeeper, has been linked mainly with Golfito and San Carlos FC.
The disciplinary action is likely to keep attention on match-fixing risks in Costa Rican soccer, especially in lower divisions where oversight can be harder and players may face less stable financial conditions. For the federation, the immediate message is clear: attempted manipulation can bring career-ending consequences, even when the scheme does not succeed.
