Costa Rica fires Pinto, Rehires Guimaraes
Costa Rica fired national soccer team coach Jorge Luis Pinto on Friday and rehired Alexandre Guimaraes, a shake-up intended to reinvigorate the side's World Cup qualifying chances.

"We've arrived at an agreement, the only thing left to do now is put it in writing," said Hermes Navarro, president of the Costa Rican federation, Fedefut, said of Guimaraes' hiring.

His voice cracking, the Colombian-born Pinto told a news conference just before the official announcement that he met with the directors of Fedefut, who went over his contract to ensure there would be no way to challenge his dismissal.

"How could this not be painful?" he asked. "I had World Cup dreams and dedicated myself with everything to make them come true. But I couldn't."

Pinto said he would receive $15,000 US in severance pay.

Guimaraes guided Costa Rica to only its second World Cup berth in 2002, missing out on advancing to the second round on goal difference from a group that also included eventual champion Brazil and semifinalist Turkey.

Pinto's dismissal came just two days after Costa Rica settled for a 0-0 draw during a World Cup qualifier at Trinidad and Tobago.

Despite a 2-1 victory over Panama last Saturday, the Ticos lost at home to Mexico for the first time in decades, 2-1 in the capital of San Jose on Feb. 9.

The results left it with four points and in fourth place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, just behind Guatemala on goal difference. Mexico leads with six points and the United States is second with six.

Only the top three teams are guaranteed places in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. The fourth-placed team faces an Asian side for another berth.

Despite the recent setbacks, Pinto said he was content with his work as Costa Rica's coach and should have been allowed more time on the job.

"We started qualifying and we played badly against Mexico and with Panama we played better and we won," he said. "But the game against Trinidad was difficult. We got a result that wasn't ideal, that could be what caused all of this, but that's soccer."

Guimaraes left in November 2004 and was replaced by former U.S. national team coach Steve Sampson.

Sampson was dismissed after just a year and eight months on the job, replaced by Pinto.

At the time of that hiring, Pinto was the soccer federation's second-choice behind Guimaraes, who ultimately became unavailable after taking a job with the Mexican league's Sinaloa Dorados. He later left that team.


 

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