The picture above isn't of a prison, or war camp, but of Estadio Saprissa.
We are about three hours from kickoff and I'll be providing coverage throughout the evening. For now, I wanted to give you all a glimpse of what Estadio Saprissa really looks like, so I took a trip down to the stadium earlier today to get some pictures of the place.
Here is a closer look at Estadio Saprissa:
What do you think of the pictures? Is Saprissa worse than you thought?
Share your thoughts below.
patrick- fair enough. You are right sometimes I forget this is a blog, attempting to make a point (whether I am right or wrong) can be futile. I’ll stick to my usual vague and brief comments from now on…and try to complement Ives whenever possible 🙂
Or the LA Sports Arena 🙂
I thought I was looking at the LA Coliseum for a sec.
This is the part of the mafia that is disappointing, and what holds your blog back from becoming something more.
Something more then a blog? 4now, what would that next step be? Ives writing for a large sports related website? ESPN can be considered that. Ives going to Costa Rica to cover a USMNT for a large sports related website, as well as providing site and sound for most people that will never get there? The pictures prove that.
I think what holds this blog back sometimes is that people forget that this is a blog about soccer, and the things that soccer create in the world, like this hell hole of a stadium that a country calls their home field. People like you feel the need to jump on others opinions and in reality, do not allow this blog to be something more…
Reminds me of the Orange bowl actually….as they were tearing it down. Yikes.
Oh and…It’s simply an opinion to say what something looks like from one’s own point of view. it doesn’t have to be a manifesto on an entire region just because I, or someone else thinks a stadium looks like a prison, war camp, or set of the latest Terminator movie (which it in my opinion does). If that stadium was in Hawaii, Modesto, Toledo or Barbados it would still look like a prison, war camp or set from the latest Terminator. And in any of those cases it would be equally as suprising considering it’s history and context in which we are talking about.
Thanks for the picture’s Ives. I’m now a little wiser about what the USMNT experiences while traveling. Really good stuff.
if a majority of ppl on planet earth live in poverty it only makes sense that there are many stadiums like this around the world
I second Patrick!
Ives, you have the best job in the world.
nico,
If i recall, Ives has been there, and possibly more than once, they’ve played there like 4 times since 2000. He writes his post not as a personal reaction piece, but for his audience, largely from america, who probably HASN’T seen these types of stadiums. In general, you dont see a lot of shots of the stadiums, outside of the pitch and the interior so to see one, one that is a home field fortress is a new angle. This is something that you wont see in any other article about this game, or the home field advantage that costa rica has.
I’m sure you didnt mean to come off as condescending but the language of your post and your name dropping allows it be read as such.
what a hell hole
Sometimes I wonder why Ives bothers with this. Anytime he posts something, a sea of know-it-alls steps up to knit pick and whine. Don’t you have something better to do than bitch about everything on this blog?
Ives, thanks for the photos. I do not think think you are racist for your comments.
I don’t think anyone should be terribly offended by the observation that this place looks like a gulag. In fact, it would seem that CR has taken advantage of that very fact over the years. Further, the fact that the fans are so close to the pitch and the joint looks like it could collapse at any moment are also relevant to FIFA safety guidelines and whether they are being fully observed by playing in such a stadium. Poor country – rich country, you still have to provide a safe environment if you want to take part in the WC tourney.
It makes RFK look like Wembley.
Lol jey comedy aside the HDC is in Carson …..not much better than compton
I also feel the prison or war camp comment is unnecessary. As a costa rican american I have been slightly disappointed with the disparaging remarks Ives has been making in these posts. I do appreciate the coverage and hard work but can you resist the urge to pander to a third world stereotype about Central America.
That’s surprisingly bad, actually. I, too, have been to San Jose and other parts of Costa Rica and the country is far ahead of its CA neighbors and improving quickly. I’d have thought that the stadium would be in better condition than that.
Oh, and thanks for the pix Ives. Some of us haven’t ever seen a C. American stadium. And btw, I strongly doubt that is what all C. American countries stadiums look like. I hope some of you are generalizing.
We’re lucky to have you Ives!
Serious post game questions for CR coach, team and Federation:
A) Today Stepp Blatter announced that only Prisoners and Animals should be behind fences. He asked that everyone in FIFA begin removing fences. Would they welcome this in Saprissa?
Thanks Ives.
Watch your step, Ives!
Hahaha
4now, are you compensating for something? Sounds like you have some sort of complex. SteveT is right, get over yourself.
having been to quite a few soccer stadiums in south america, this stadium in costa rica is in far worse condition. when i lived in ecuador, their olympic stadium was in much better condition and they are a poor country. it is possible to have acceptable stadiums in poor countries. Ecuador even has a pretty nice stadium with the liga de quito casa blanca and it doesn’t take millions to keep the stadium in acceptable condition.
wowwww Looks like a prison.
That looks a lot like the outside of the prison that I pass on the way to work.
Whether it’s nice to say or not, fact is fact.
SteveT,
u
have
a
small
little
t iny
weeny
mind
: )
gooddaysir
: )
you got box seats or will you be in the stampede?? if its the stampade, you are one brave soul.
And whoever thought those images are of blood stains….LOL.
Those are old-ass seats that are chipping away more and more.
Unless you were being sarcastic…..
Whoosh! Right over my head.
No, Jim.
The Chinese government is actually funding CR’s new stadium, which is slated to be a beauty.
Curiously enough, though, capacity will only be at 30K. Granted, the country is small but I’m sure it could fill 40K-45K easily.
Hopefully Ives got a tetanus shot before going over there!
4Now, IT LOOKS LIKE A PRISON. Get over yourself.
This stadium has nothing to do with the country its in. Blame the owner of Saprissa. That would be the deep pockets of Jorge Vergera or what ever his name is. He’s building a brand new, state of the art stadium for Chivas, why not saprissa next. Bottom line is that the US is going to rock that stadium in a few hours…..
Ooohhh, Blood Stains. Very Classy.
Nico’s comment was lame….wow…Nico’s been to Central America and Africa and Asia!!
Posted by: Mike | June 03, 2009 at 07:52 PM
Hilarious. Thanks Mike, your comment was much more meaningful.
Haven’t been to Africa, fyi. Just pointing out the economic status of CR.
Adapt, improvise, overcome…
Looks like there’s blood on the seats.
Uhhhh, they are spending millions on a better stadium.
Nico’s comment was lame….wow…Nico’s been to Central America and Africa and Asia!!
yes, how dare a poor country not spend millions on a better soccer stadium!
this isn’t north america or europe, kids, this is a country with a per capita gdp one eighth that of the US. par for the course.
I like Matt’s comments.
After all in “the world of soccer”, Ives, this IS par for the course.
I just wonder why we need an “American voice” comparing it to a prison or war camp… and where that gets us.
That fact is that when the whistle blows and everyone is huddled together, it is everything but.
If you want to make a point about security and safety and make a connection to the tragedy of the WC Qualifier in the Ivory Coast last month, or if you want to talk about how barren conditions contribute to the intimidating atmosphere, that is all fine.
But why just cr*p all over a foreign country’s national stadium with such crude and ultimately ethnocentric sentiments attached?
This is the part of the mafia that is disappointing, and what holds your blog back from becoming something more.
Helps paint the picture. I know you’ll be busy blogging during the game, but any pictures of the fans before game time and after the game would be awesome.
Keep up the awesome work Ives!!!
Ives, is this your first time to a stadium in Central America? I ask because I’ve been to stadium’s in CR, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama…most are pretty similar to the pictures you posted. Granted CR’s economy is slightly better than some in C.A. but it is still comparable to that of Bangladesh or Botswana (for instance).
I guess I am surprised that you are so shocked by the deteriorating infrastructure in CR.
Regardless enjoy your trip.
Ask, and you shall receive.
Thank you, Ives, thank you, for the pix.
It looks like the national stadium where I grew up. We used to have huge platforms in the 4 corner sections for standing room only (cheap tickets), resulting in a lot of shoving/pushing!
Living in the US, we sometimes take things for granted…
Per New Fifa rules. Players are not cap tied till they play for a nation at senior level.
Great stuff Ives. Wow. Kind of like Legion Field in B’ham but 1,000 times worse.
they should have put the home depot center in the middle of compton so we could have had a stadium that looks like that.
That place looks like its held together with duct tape. Seriously, it looks like it could collapse at any moment.
Isn’t this where they filmed Gladiator?
Ives, this may sound bizarre but thank you for the outside photos of Saprissa. Everyone has the inside photos but for those of us not fortunate enough to ever visit, the photos of the outside also help paint the picture.
Eh, yeah the fence might be a bit intimidating but is really the norm for Latin American stadiums, no? And at least they have seats. In most stadiums in Brazil you end up just sitting on the concrete steps. Although, not meant meant to downplay how intimidating of an environment it will be for our guys tonight, it really seems par for the course for a lot of stadiums in Latin America.
My first thought was of the Maze Priosn outside Belfast…
Wow, that is abominable.