Disappointed and appealing to nationalism, the Nicaraguan Soccer Team players reacted after being excluded from the 2023 Gold Cup for having violated FIFA regulations and concacaf by fielding an “ineligible” player for eight official matches.
In a video released on the official networks of the team, the players showed their sadness and surprise at being excluded, among them Juan Barrera, who stated that he was “very committed” from the beginning.
“We know what we were playing. There are things that are not in our hands, but the values that we have as people, as a team, we wanted to demonstrate from the beginning”, Barrera explained.
But he indicated that there are things that “are not in our hands” and appealed for the sanction imposed by Concacaf to be “solved”.
In the same way, soccer player Byron Bonilla said he felt “hurt” for something that “has cost us” and in which, according to him, they have felt great commitment. “We have gone through a very difficult, very hard process, and that many before did not believe that it would work and that with effort and sacrifice it was achieved.”
The scandal involving the Nicaraguan National Team began on Monday June 12 when FENIFUT, which is the highest governing body for soccer in Managua, and which is affiliated with FIFA, received a notification from Concacaf, where they were sanctioned for line up for Nicaragua Richard Rodríguez Álvez, who was born in Uruguay.
Although Rodríguez Álvez was nationalized as a Nicaraguan, according to the specialized sports network ESPN, there are a series of parameters in this regard and that were not complied with.
This legislation explains that a player who adopts a new nationality should, among other things, have lived at least five continuous years after reaching the age of 18 in the territory of the association in question.
“Rodríguez would have lived in Nicaragua for five years, but not consecutively, since in 2019 he played in Paraguay,” says ESPN.
The Nicaraguan players say they “did not expect the news.”
The Nicaraguan players said they “did not expect the news” from Concacaf. “Each of us has gone through difficult times and we have always been able to overcome them. Nicaragua always manages to recover and we know that, no matter how difficult it is, this group is united and is going to work harder,” said Byron Bonilla.
Meanwhile, Jaime Moreno appealed to nationalism and indicated that he lost all of Nicaragua with the expulsion of the team. “We are six million who today have lost an illusion, a dream, a hope. But only we, as a body, can get ahead. I ask for union, strength in each of the parties so that everyone, in the same body.
According to sports writer Miguel Mendoza, Nicaragua received warnings and had even withdrawn Rodríguez several weeks ago because they knew they were breaking the rules.
“It is an offense that in another country should be paid with the resignation of the federated but in Nicaragua not because they are characters of the dictatorship,” says the Nicaraguan sports writer.
The Nicaraguan Football Federation would have appealed the sanction, with criteria still unknown, but Mendoza considers that “there is no way to reverse the ruling.”
“Now Nicaragua is out. It may just be the tip of the iceberg because Nicaragua could even be suspended indefinitely as has happened with other countries. We were expelled and there is no way to reverse the ruling, ”she concluded.
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