Costa Rica men’s national team assistant coach Erick Rodríguez died on Tuesday at age 49, the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF) confirmed.
Costa Rica defeated Saudi Arabia in a friendly on Friday in Newcastle, England. The FCRF said in a statement that Rodríguez began to feel unwell on the flight from Newcastle to Zagreb, Croatia, where the Ticos lost to the United Arab Emirates in another friendly on Tuesday.
During a layover in Amsterdam, Rodríguez was taken off the plane to be medically evaluated.
“Saturday, Mr. Rodríguez presented a health issue during the transfer from Newcastle to Zagreb, which is why during the stopover in Amsterdam it was decided that he remain in that city to be medically evaluated, always in the company of a member of the administrative staff of the national team,” read the FCRF statement.
“However, on Sunday he was admitted to the OLVG Hospital in that city. That same day the federation made contacts for his wife to travel to the Netherlands, who managed to arrive Monday. However, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, his health condition worsened and unfortunately Erick Rodríguez died alongside his wife at 3:45 p.m. local time.
“The federation regrets this news, and at the same time is working on all the details for the repatriation of the body, together with the Costa Rican embassy in the Netherlands.”
In a video statement sent by the FCRF, an emotional Costa Rica head coach Claudio Vivas said he learned of Rodríguez’s death during the first half of Tuesday’s friendly against the UAE.
“I found out in the first half. I tried to be as professional as possible in the second half because we had to finish the game,” Vivas said.
“He was a great friend and a great companion. These are things that one has to deal with in life, but it was something very sad and unfortunate that happened in less than 72 hours.”
Rodríguez coached several club teams in Costa Rica during his career, as well as the Costa Rica U-17 and U-23 national teams.