MIAMI, FL (Saturday, July 20, 2013) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today that its Gold Cup Disciplinary Committee has fined Costa Rica Head Coach Jorge Luis Pinto the amount of $5,000 (five thousand dollars), and has given him an official warning for future incidents.

The fine comes as a result of infringements by Mr. Pinto to Article 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code that emanated from public criticism of the Confederation during his press conference following the group stage game against Belize in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as unacceptable and offensive language used against CONCACAF officials.

ABOUT CONCACAF

CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 41 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana in the south.

ABOUT THE GOLD CUP

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the national team championship for the confederation and is its premier event. It evolved from a series of tournaments in the region dating back to 1941 through the late 1980s, until it assumed its current format in 1991.  Initially an eight-team competition, the Gold Cup finals have grown into a 12-nation competition with countries qualifying from each of CONCACAF’s three sub-regions: North America (three automatic entrants), Central America (five qualifiers through the UNCAF Copa Centroamericana) and the Caribbean (four qualifiers through the Caribbean Cup). Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has attained exceptional levels of popularity, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of TV viewers throughout the world.  The Gold Cup is being contested for the 12th time, with Mexico owning a tournament-record six titles, followed by the United States with four and Canada with one.