Costa Rica played with COVID-positive players – JFF doctor
Published:Thursday | February 3, 2022 | 12:15 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Medical Committee Chairman Dr Guyan Arscott has confirmed that six persons from the Costa Rican delegation, including two who played against the Reggae Boyz in their Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19.
Arscott told The Gleaner in an exclusive interview the players and officials tested positive COVID 19 on arrival in Jamaica on Tuesday.
“I can confirm that there were six Costa Ricans that tested [positive for COVID-19]. Three were non-players and three were players,” said Arscott.
“One player was isolated because his test was deemed to be relatively new,” he said.
The Reggae Boyz lost the game 1-0 to the Costa Ricans.
Arscott pointed out that after receiving their COVID-19 test results, the Costa Rican medical team were advised that the players should have been barred from playing in the match.
“We recommended that those two players should be isolated or should not be allowed to play,” he 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,” Arscott said.
He also pointed out that these players had tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks ago but had been cleared after they had completed isolation and had gone on to produce negative tests.
“They had tested positive a fortnight or so before. We were told that they did their quarantine and isolation and tested negative before leaving Costa Rica. But on arrival in Jamaica they tested positive at our official lab,” Arscott said.
Dalton Wint, General Secretary of the JFF, said the federation was aware of the issues and therefore will be making a formal complaint to FIFA on the matter.
“I don't know what we can appeal, but I am sure I will be sending something to FIFA to inquire as to why this happened because this is an absolute breach of the rules,” Wint said.