Jamaica defeated the United States for the second time in 23 attempts and became the first Caribbean team to advance to the tournament final. The last time the U.S. lost on home soil to a Caribbean opponent was 1969 (Haiti).
A U.S. prosecutor confirmed Friday during a pretrial hearing that former FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb was in the U.S. to face charges as part of a massive corruption scandal.
After Costa Rica's third straight draw, the perennial favorites to win Group B coming into the regional tournament finish in second place behind Jamaica. On Sunday, they will face the runner-up of Group C.
A Costa Rican side that boasted a stingy defense in that miraculous World Cup performance has been unrecognizable ever since, and mounting injuries force a new group of players into the spotlight at the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) championships.
"If I have been in FIFA for 30 years and I have been thiefing all the money, who give me the money?" Jack Warner asked his supporters gathered in Trinidad. After one blurted out, "Blatter!" Warner asked, "And why it is he ain't charged?"
The 56-year-old president of Costa Rica’s national football federation built himself into a regional and international figure in the sport. But U.S. authorities say that with that rise came the temptations of a vast criminal conspiracy outlined in a sweeping indictment of FIFA.
As many amateur humorists on social media noted Wednesday morning, there's a certain appropriateness to the United States having been the country to articulate and disrupt alleged corruption within the governing body of international football. Here's why they can do it.
The U.S. was not successful. Instead, Qatar — a small, wealthy emirate on the Persian Gulf — became the first Arab country to be awarded the event. And almost immediately the decision to place a summer football tournament in a country where daytime temperatures in those months often exceed 120 degrees drew fierce criticism — and deep suspicion.
The acting president of the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), Jorge Hidalgo described the news of Eduardo Li’s arrest as shocking, and “like the Turrialba Volcano finally erupted on all of us.”
