On Wednesday, Paulo Wanchope resigned from his post after meeting with the Costa Rican Football Federation. Costa Rica will now join Mexico in the list of national teams that lost their head coaches due to fights in public.
Former Mexican head coach Miguel Herrera punched a journalist in an airport in Philadelphia, PA. As for Wanchope, he got in fight in Panama watching Costa Rica’s U-23 national team play an Olympic Qualifier.
The former Tico striker appeared to be irritated after Costa Rica ended the match in a scoreless draw. The former coach then swung open the gate that allowed him access to the field scaring off the ball boy in the process.
He then turned his attention to an unknown man to his left and punched him. After he that the brawl escalated until the police broke up the fight.
The footage of the scuffle was quickly presented to the public. A day later Wanchope met with the federation and then stepped down.
His resignation according to the Costa Rican Federation:
"Following a cordial meeting between Paulo Cesar Wanchope and federation executives Jorge Hidalgo and Rodolfo Villalobos, secretary general Rafael Vargas and the president of the national team commission Adrian Gutierrez, the coach decided to step aside and leave the technical direction of the national team. Wanchope was thankful for the opportunity he had in front of the Tricolor, while the federation executives thank his work and wished him well in his future endeavors."
Costa Rica will have two friendly matches in September as they prepare for the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifications that begin in November The Ticos will face Brazil on the 5th at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, and then three days later they will face Uruguay at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José.
Wanchope’s decision to get in a fight came at the worst time since the Ticos next two matches are less than a month away. Now the federation will be pressured to find a suitable replacement quickly.