Costa Rica Disputes Report It Played World Cup Qualifier With COVID-19-Positive Players

Jamaica lost to Costa Rica and was eliminated from contention for a spot the 2022 World Cup as a result.

Costa Rica's soccer federation released a statement on Thursday, disputing a report from the Jamaica Gleaner in which Jamaica Football Federation medical committee chairman Dr. Guyan Arscott said Costa Rica's men's team competed in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday against them with COVID-19-positive players.

In a statement Thursday, Costa Rica claims all players were cleared based on Concacaf guidelines.

Arscott told the Gleaner that two players who tested positive on arrival in Jamaica competed in the game. One other player who tested positive was isolated because his test was “deemed to be relatively new,” Arscott said. Three non-players tested positive as well, per Arscott.

“We recommended that those two players should be isolated or should not be allowed to play,” Arscott said. “We had some discussions with the members of the Ministry of Health and we wondered if they had some new infections, having tested negative before they left Costa Rica. Be that as it may, with the positive test, we felt we were duty bound to recommend that they not play.”

Costa Rica topped Jamaica 1–0 in the qualifier. As a result of the loss, Jamaica was eliminated from contention for a spot in the 2022 World Cup.