- Costa Rica became the first country in the Americas to restart their professional soccer league on Tuesday (May 19), with an afternoon game played behind closed doors and substitutes sitting in the stands to ensure their distance from others.
Costa Rica became the first country in the Americas to restart their professional soccer league on Tuesday (May 19), with an afternoon game played behind closed doors and substitutes sitting in the stands to ensure their distance from others.
The Costa Rican league was suspended on March 15 but Guadalupe’s 1-0 victory over Limon was the first of six games due to be held across the Central American nation this week.
“It is difficult to get up to speed again,” said Arturo Campos, scorer of Guadalupe’s winning goal. “We feel heavy, but we are happy to return.”
Costa Rica has recorded just 866 cases of covid-19 and only10facilities, one of the best records in the region.
The country’s 12 top clubs returned to training on May 15 and the league will kick off again with rules such as a ban on hugging, the deep cleaning of dressing rooms and a provision for five substitutes instead of three.
Tuesday’s game in Heredia, 10km north of the capital San Jose, was held behind closed doors and broadcast on local television. Only team members, broadcast media and match officials were allowed into the stadium.
Some clubs have sold “virtual tickets” to fans whose face is printed on a poster and placed on stadium seats. Others hope to create a live atmosphere with recordings of chants and songs.
