San Carlos coach Wálter ‘Paté’ Centeno ended his post-match press conference abruptly on April 7 after his team lost 5-1 to Municipal Liberia at the Edgardo Baltodano stadium. Centeno answered only one question before leaving, a move that left several journalists dissatisfied.
The incident occurred following a heavy defeat for San Carlos, which increased frustration for both the coach and members of the media. Some journalists, including Jimena Rodríguez from Radio Columbia, described Centeno’s actions as a “lack of respect for the media and professionalism” because he did not answer more questions as is customary and required by Unafut regulations.
Centeno responded to a question from journalist Julián Blanco with an extended statement lasting about two minutes and thirty seconds. “I’m hurt, very hurt. Don’t think otherwise; I’m hurt,” Centeno said. He continued: “For context—not just about this match but my experience—we had the chance to be in qualifying position against Cartaginés; then came Puntarenas FC, Sporting, Saprissa, and Liberia where we had opportunities to fight for qualification but wasted them.”
He also told reporters: “We haven’t played like it’s a final and I made that clear to the players—the result reflects that. We weren’t playing like it was a final.” He added that conceding two goals shortly after equalizing was especially frustrating due to mistakes already discussed with his players.
Centeno concluded: “But yes it hurts because we’ve had chances to qualify and we haven’t taken them… This is the reflection: we’ve had chances but failed.” Before leaving without taking further questions, he stated: “That’s the explanation I can give you about what happened in the match… That’s all I’ll say today. Thank you,” cutting off another journalist mid-question.
