Miguel Herrera—the former head coach of the Mexican national team—lost his job after punching a journalist in Philadelphia following the 2015 Gold Cup. On Tuesday, Paulo Wanchope—the current head coach of the Costa Rican national team—immersed himself in a similar controversy.
Following a scoreless draw with Panama in a 2016 Olympic qualifier, Wanchope made his way to the pitch to share a few choice words with the fourth official. What he received instead was a slight nudge from a nearby security guard.
A melee ensued.
Costa Rica’s head coach Paulo Wanchope got in a fight with a fan last night: pic.twitter.com/GmdTPv6lBD
— Uber Football Facts (@UberFootbalI) August 12, 2015
According to most accounts, Wanchope was nothing more than a man possessed, shoving ball boys and punching security guards with no regard for his esteemed position. In reality, it was the security guard who instigated the encounter, pushing Wanchope into the ball boy before receiving a right hand from justice.
Not absolving Wanchope of any wrongdoing, the Panamanian Federation expects swift and aggressive sanctions from Costa Rica.
“The leader of Fepafut said what happened at the end of the match is sanction worthy,” said Ramon Cardoze, the vice president of Panamanian Federation, per yashinquesada.com.
A statement from the Costa Rican football association offered more perspective, as the organization attempts to gather all information before deciding on Wanchope’s future.
Statement from costa rican FA pic.twitter.com/intQci9wJa
— Soccer Chronicle (@soccerchron) August 12, 2015
“We understand the need to give a reaction on what happened in Panama, but we will not be giving any declarations on the topic at the moment,” an official statement read. “Understand that acting responsibly includes gathering as much information as possible, so we can offer the best decision to this case.”
Wanchope arrived in Costa Rica on Wednesday, but refused to make any comments to the surrounding press.
Locura a la llegada de Paulo Wanchope al aeropuerto pic.twitter.com/6YrJoQqp5x
— Yashin Quesada (@YashinQuesada) August 12, 2015
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