Miguel Herrera, the Mexican coach of the Costa Rican national team, not only has to deal with the pressure of the last two matches of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers against Haiti and Honduras, but now he faces a strong controversy with a football executive Costa Rican.

Herrera, who has had a complicated final phase of the qualifiers to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup, currently in second place in Group C, is obligated to defeat or draw away against Haiti and defeat Honduras at home to advance directly to the tournament. He finds himself embroiled in a controversy with Leonardo Vargas, president of the Costa Rican football club Cartagines.

Just when it seemed that things were improving for his project and that the opinions of the country's football executives were united in favor of the Mexican coach, a battle has now erupted due to a series of comments and criticisms exchanged between the two, leading to Vargas distancing himself from everything related to the work of "Piojo" Herrera.

The Root of the Conflict

The controversy between Leonardo Vargas, who in addition to leading his team is a member of the Executive Committee of the Costa Rican Football Federation, and Miguel Herrera, originated in the criticisms that the manager made on two occasions against the way the Mexican coach led his country's national team.

Vargas, who had a good relationship with Herrera, questioned the performance of the Costa Rican national team after their 3-3 draw at home against Haiti. He was very displeased after they let a two-goal lead slip away, ultimately drawing with the Caribbean team, a result that has put the Costa Rican team's qualification for the World Cup in jeopardy.

True to form, Herrera responded to the playing style of the team led by Leonardo Vargas, and although he wasn't derogatory,It did strike a nerve with the manager, who immediately distanced himself from the Costa Rican national team's coaching staff, which in two weeks will face the two most crucial matches of the last decade. “I watch Cartagines and think, 'Ah, they have a plan.' And then, suddenly, another match comes along and I ask myself, 'What happened to this team?' Last match was a spectacle, and today they're not playing well. When they had to assert their authority and say, 'Here I am,' they could have beaten Sporting to advance… And they lost at home,” Herrera commented.

The leader didn't remain silent

Miguel Herrera's analysis greatly annoyed the president of Cartagines, and for that reason, he announced that he will not travel to Haiti with the national team. Instead, from this moment on, he will distance himself from the upcoming games of the Costa Rican national team.

“Everything is fine with the Federation, but I won't travel with the National Team because I would have to do so with this man. I'm going with my family to support the team, because I'm on the preliminary roster and I think it's the most important match; if we don't win there, things will get very complicated for us. So, I'll go and do my part from the stands,” he said.

To conclude, Leonardo Vargas also emphasized that his main annoyance stemmed from Miguel Herrera's comments, which, from his point of view, belittled his team, which recently advanced in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

“I used to travel with the National Team and I spoke with him quite a bit. He never I waited to hear what he said, and that bothered me. That's why I prefer to avoid traveling with the national team, so that no other problems arise. That's all I have to say on my end,” he concluded.Leonardo Vargas also highlighted that his main annoyance stemmed from Miguel Herrera's comments, which, in his view, belittled his team, which had recently advanced in the Concacaf Champions Cup. “I traveled with the national team and spoke with him quite a bit. I never expected what he said, and that bothered me. That's why I prefer to avoid traveling with the national team, so that no further problems arise. That's all I have to say about it,” he concluded.Leonardo Vargas also highlighted that his main annoyance stemmed from Miguel Herrera's comments, which, in his view, belittled his team, which had recently advanced in the Concacaf Champions Cup. “I traveled with the national team and spoke with him quite a bit. I never expected what he said, and that bothered me. That's why I prefer to avoid traveling with the national team, so that no further problems arise. That's all I have to say about it,” he concluded.