Deportivo Saprissa, one of the most popular clubs in Costa Rica, announced on Tuesday the dismissal of its coach, jeaustin fields for having issued racist insults towards the team’s Jamaican player, Javon East, and described the facts as intolerable.
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“After the meeting of the Board of Directors this morning, the decision has been made to immediately dispense with the services of our technical director, Mr. Jeaustin Campos,” Saprissa reported in a statement on their social networks.
In the note, it adds that “the facts of Mr. Campos They are not tolerated by the club nor do they represent the values of Deportivo Saprissa” and He expresses that he “deeply regrets the situation that the player had to go through and is committed to redoubling efforts so that a situation like this never happens again within the club.”
Saprissa also announced that it is conducting an investigation into its sports manager, the Spanish Ángel Catalina, about the approach he gave to the complaint filed by the soccer player.
The Jamaican international Javon East attended the Association of Professional Players (Asojupro) last week from Costa Rica to present their case and the association sent a letter to the Saprissa Board of Directors denouncing the situation.
A Spanish manager, questioned
According to the letter, published by Tigo Sports, the striker East went to the club’s sports manager, the Spanish Ángel Catalina, who would have minimized the facts.
Asojupro asked Saprissa last week to incorporate sanctions for cases of racism into its disciplinary regulations, to initiate an investigation into the facts and take the corresponding measures; to implement a training and awareness plan for the coaching staff and players on respect for diversity and the fight against racism and discrimination.
racism worries
Asojupro recalled that this is not the first case of racism in Costa Rican soccer and expressed its concern that “instead of recognizing spaces free of all kinds of discrimination in Costa Rica, it is the opposite.”
“In our country, the culture of racism in sports is recognized as something normal, even this type of situation has already been reported to the authorities, particularly the Union of Football Clubs of the First Division and to various national clubs,” said the Asojupro.
Since 2020 in Costa Rica, the Law Against Violence and Racism in Sports Events has been in force, which establishes sanctions for offenders.
