Costa Rica furious at FIFA doping directive

A directive from FIFA that seven Costa Rica players undergo doping tests following their 1-0 win over Italy has incensed the CONCACAF team.

Two players from each team are required to undergo drug tests following each match at the FIFA World Cup but, according to media reports, when Costa Rica stunned Italy on Friday, the game's governing body asked for five extra Central Americans to be tested.

The Costa Rican players that were tested included captain Bryan Ruiz, goalkeeper Keylor Navas, midfielders Celso Borges and Christian Bolanos, plus substitute Marco Urena and unused bench players Diego Calvo and Michael Barrantes.

According to reports in Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport and England's Guardian , FIFA claimed five of those players had failed to complete mandatory pre-tournament tests but Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto was furious when asked about it on Saturday.

"The question in all of this is: 'Why does Costa Rica receive these tests?'" Pinto said.

"It's because Costa Rica is running and running and running, and I congratulate my players for that.

"They can do doping tests to all of us, including me. We would love it. I hope they do it to all of us."

The Costa Rican Football Association are furious that FIFA's directive, immediately after one of the most famous victories in their history, implies that the CONCACAF nation have been cheating in Brazil.

Former Argentina international Diego Maradona, who infamously failed a drugs test at the World Cup in the United States in 1994 and was sent home in disgrace, also criticised FIFA.

"Why test seven players from Costa Rica and not seven from Italy?" Maradona said.

"This is only happening because some people are annoyed Costa Rica, and not the big teams, are going through (to the next round), and so the sponsors won't pay what they'd promised.

"It's against the rules. Two players from each team are supposed to undergo doping controls. I know what I'm talking about, because it happened to me.

"But seven players? I've never seen something like that."