Mexican Businessman Buys Saprissa
There is a joke in Costa Rica that goes: "Why is Saprissa the Pope's favorite soccer team?"
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U.S. Tourist Dies in Sportfishing Accident
A 56-year-old U.S. citizen identified by police as Gordon Norman Meyerson died Friday morning when he was reportedly knocked off the back of a sportfishing boat by a rogue wave and severely cut by the boat's propeller before drowning.
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2nd Round of CAFTA Talks Conclude
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP) -- The second round of trade talks for the eventual free-trade agreement between Central America and the United States (CAFTA) concluded Friday afternoon with no real concrete achievements but with "sufficient progress" to assure the negotiation rounds will end by December, according to U.S. trade representative Regina Vargo.
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Coast to Coast Challenge
Four-day competition, expedition style, begins March 3, 3 a.m., from Playa Carrillo to Tortuguero. Info: 280-8054.

Body and Soul together in Dance Lab
Corpus Erigo Contemporary Dance invite everyone to seminar and workshop Trans-Formation; learn about techniques of body conscience and improvisation, directed by dancer Humberto Canessa, National Dance Award winner 2001. March 3-14, Mon.-Sat., 5-8 p.m., at the Melico Salazar Theater. Info: 255-0618.

Mexican Businessman Buys Saprissa

There is a joke in Costa Rica that goes: "Why is Saprissa the Pope's favorite soccer team?"

The answer is: "Because they couldn't hurt a fly."

Mexican businessman Jorge Vergara, who last Friday became the San José soccer clubs majority owner, hopes to change the punch line.

Announcing his plans to make Deportivo Saprissa into the best soccer team in Costa Rica and Central America, Vergara -- owner of the $700 million-a-year company Omnilife -- purchased 51% of Saprissa's stock at a price close to $4 million, reported AFP.

Vergara also owns the soccer club the "Chivas" of Guadalajara -- one of Mexico's wealthier teams (TT Daily Page, Feb. 26).

As part of the deal, Vergara will pay the team some $400,000 this week so the club can make back payments it owes its players and payoff some of the team's debts.

Saprissa, one of Costa Rica's most popular and traditionally successful soccer clubs, was teetering on bankruptcy with a debt of nearly $4 million. Vergara has promised to pay off the team's entire debt within the next 60 days.

The team has not won a national championship in three years, and has lost many of its talented players to foreign clubs that could afford to pay higher salaries.

To help the team regain some of its past glory, Vergara is reportedly trying to hire former Costa Rican National Team coach Alexandre Guimaraes, who took the Ticos to the 2002 World Cup and is currently out of a job. The Honduran National Soccer Team also reportedly is courting Guimaraes.

U.S. Tourist Dies in Sportfishing Accident
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net

A 56-year-old U.S. citizen identified by police as Gordon Norman Meyerson died Friday morning when he was reportedly knocked off the back of a sportfishing boat by a rogue wave and severely cut by the boat's propeller before drowning.

A second man was also reportedly thrown off the boat, which was charted from an established fishing lodge in Osa Peninsula's Golfo Dulce, and managed to cling to the rocks and was saved.

A source in Golfito told The Tico Times that a distress call came across the radio in the late morning hours, but the Coast Guard's boat was patrolling another area and was slow to respond. As a result, the source said, the other fishing vessels in the area responded first.

According to a Security Ministry press release, the Coast Guard cutter "Juan Rafael Mora" responded to the distress call at 9:50 a.m., but did not arrive at the location of the distressed fishing boat until three hours later.

When the Coast Guard arrived, Meyerson reportedly was found dead on the beach. His body was handed over to judicial authorities at 9 p.m., according to the release.

The fishing lodge could not be reached for comment and no further details about the victim were available.