Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera, head coach of the Costa Rica national football team, was involved in a tense exchange with journalist Diego Obando following Costa Rica’s defeat against Haiti in Curacao during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
After the match, Herrera confronted Obando from Multimedios channel, leading to a heated discussion. The incident occurred after a press conference where Obando questioned Herrera about the team’s performance in the qualifiers. Costa Rica currently has six points from one win and three draws and faces possible elimination from the tournament.
Obando described his experience to La Nación: “I walked past the bus, Piojo made some faces at me and tapped on the window. Those who were with me told me about it, so I went back and he asked why I was upset with his response… I said that he didn’t say anything.”
He continued: “Then he got off, I told him we were all frustrated. What bothered me was that he answered with a monosyllable because that leaves us wondering why these results are happening,” Obando said.
During their exchange, Herrera’s complaints became intense enough that Adriana Durán, communications officer for the Costa Rican Football Federation, had to intervene.
Despite the tension, Herrera later spoke further with Obando. “He invited me to talk and answered my question; he explained things to me but I would have liked him to give that answer during the press conference. He was annoyed by my question and was a bit angry but then calmed down,” Obando concluded.
This is not the first time Herrera has had confrontations with journalists. While coaching Mexico’s national team, he previously clashed with Christian Martinolli—a situation that contributed to his departure as Mexico’s coach.
