FIFA has confirmed that it has received a protest from Costa Rica, which was "furious at being forced to play Friday's World Cup qualifier away to the United States in a snowstorm," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. In a statement, FIFA said, "We can confirm that FIFA has received a letter from the Costa Rica FA regarding last Friday's World Cup qualifier." Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto said the match was an "embarrassment to football" after his side lost 1-0 in Denver on a snowy field with a "covering that became deeper as the game wore on." The Costa Rica FA said in a statement that there were "four parts to its protest." It said the conditions were a threat to "the physical integrity" of the players and said stadium officials had come on to the pitch to "clear the snow while the ball was in play." Additionally, the pitch markings "disappeared" and the "the movement of the ball became impossible due to the quantity of snow on the pitch." The federation also demanded sanctions for "all the officials who were involved in the decision to keep playing this game" (REUTERS, 3/25).
