It’s official now that Oscar Ramirez is no longer the coach for the Costa Rica national team. As is the case when such news breaks out, rumours start to fly around and sportsbooks as well as online casinos stat to create markets asking bettors whom they think is going to be the next in line to take charge of the team. Going by the norm, rumours are already going around and a number of potential candidates are already being touted. Let’s see the top candidates thus far but first, how the vacancy came about.
FEDEFUTBOL fails to renew Oscar Ramirez contract
Oscar Ramirez’s contract was set to expire the World Cup. As was to be the case, Costa Rica played their last game at the tournament against Switzerland and soon after that, his contract came to an end. Asked about his contract situation after the Switzerland game, Ramirez said that the supreme decision lies with the FEDEFUTBOL. That was indeed true as the ultimate decision was that of FEDEFUTBOL and when it came, the decision was not to renew Ramirez’s contract. Speaking after the announcement, the head of the football federation said that FEDEFUTBOL was happy with all that Ramirez had done for Costa Rica football and wishes him well. He said the process to select the next coach had begun in earnest and they are looking for potential replacements. He said their budget will determine the perfect candidate for the job.
Potential Candidates
Jorge Sampaoli
If there is one coach currently who knows American football right now, it is Jorge Sampaoli. The former Sevilla coach took Chile to two Copa America titles and also ensured that Argentina qualify for the 2018 World Cup though they ultimately exited the football extravaganza at the last 16 stage. Argentina’s performance at the World Cup was far from convincing and reports both during and after Argentina’s World Cup campaign state that top players in the squad had lost confidence in Jorge Sampaoli and they were not convinced of his tactics. Some media outlets went as far to state that the dropping of Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero was due to an altercation between the two. While he is still the national coach of the Argentina national team, it’s highly unlikely that he will still be there in days to come and for this reason, he is touted to leave Argentina and seek pastures elsewhere. Sampaoli previously said he sees his future in American football only so a move to Costa Rica cannot be ruled out. The big question however is, will he fall within the budgetary constraints of FEDEFUTBOL or not
Herve Renard
An unknown entity in American football, Herve Renard made his name in Africa where he won two African Cup of Nations tournaments with Zambia and then with Ivory Coast. Rumours circling around state that FEDEFUTBOL are looking at Herve Renard as they were impressed with the performance of his current team, Morocco at the 2018 World Cup. Herve Renard will likely fall within the budgetary constraints of FEDEFUTBOL but the big question is, will he be able to adapt and apply his tactics in American football.
