President Alvarado expressed his hope that the 2019 Gold Cup games in Costa Rica will “perhaps open the door to do even more,” a suggestion that the country could someday be the main venue for the tournament.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) said Thursday that acting president Alfredo Hawit is personally overseeing the review.
Amid a storm of corruption allegations involving the region's officiating and its perceived favoring of Mexico's national football team, a divine lightning bolt has struck El Tri. Coach Miguel Herrera was fired Tuesday after he allegedly hit a television reporter at an airport Monday.
The "Reggae Boyz" could not stop the Mexicans from capturing their third title in the past four attempts at the biennial North American regional football tournament.
A 2-1 semi-final loss to Jamaica and a 3-2 penalty defeat on Saturday to Panama in the third-place match left the U.S. squad in fourth. Only a 2000 quarter-final penalties loss to Colombia kept this from being their worst showing ever in the biennial regional football tournament.
As international football remains clouded by allegations of corruption within its highest governing body, two officiating controversies in four days at the Gold Cup have cast even more doubt over the sport's integrity.
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).
