A Whirlwind of Chaos for Belize Football

The past five days have been a whirlwind for the Belize Senior Men’s National Football team and the Football Federation of Belize. Belize suffered a crushing defeat, losing thirteen to one in aggregate goals against Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims, which means they won’t be advancing to the Gold Cup. Adding to the turmoil, several team members sat out the first match in protest over what they consider unfair compensation from the federation. A regional sports journalist, who was in Belize for the initial match, went viral after calling Belize one of the most disorganized teams in the region. This has fueled demands for the resignation of FFB President Sergio Chuc and his executive team. Meanwhile, the newly appointed Minister of Sports, Anthony Mahler, has pledged to transform sports in Belize. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Football fans across the country are demanding the resignation of the entire Football Federation of Belize (FFB) management. These calls have grown louder following Belize’s crushing defeat by Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims. The FFB operates under FIFA regulations and is independent of the Government of Belize, so these demands might be futile, unless FIFA steps in. When we spoke with FFB President Sergio Chuc on Monday, he insisted that there were no major issues within the national team.

 

On the Phone: Sergio Chuc, President, F.F.B.

“The fact is that there are no major issues. There are errors that come up along the way and as soon as they come me always do our best to address them. The truth is we were not expecting to beat Costa Rica; it was almost impossible. But at the same time we were not expecting to get the seven trashing, we were hoping the results would have been two or three max.”

 

Chuc is talking about the first leg of the match on Friday night at the FFB Stadium. After the game, Head Coach Charles Slusher shared that key players had abandoned the team in protest over what they believe to be unfair compensation.

 

Charles Slusher, Head Coach, Belize National Selection

“If you guys know the history, this has been happening. Before every game there is a controversy over money and everything else. I will always fight for my players to get their rewards and just.”

Players receive a daily stipend of one hundred dollars, but only if they attend both training sessions. When traveling, this amount doubles to two hundred dollars. Regional Sports Journalist Yashin Quesada, who was in Belize covering the match, claimed that Belize has the most disorganized team in the region.

 

Yashin Quesada, Sports Journalist

“I’ll just give you two anecdotes about this to see the difference. You saw the photo of the bus. Costa Rica has a luxury bus.  Belize national team had a little bus for like the local line, not a luxury bus. They were demanding fifty Belize dollars, which is twenty-five American dollars, for travel expenses. Listen, that is why two players resigned. I was waiting for the Belizean federation for a taxi because not like here where I ask for a taxi practically anywhere. There are no private platform. One young man appeared and said that he is a taxi and will take me. He was one of the midfielders for the Belize National Team. We played against possibly the most disorganized team in the entire area with the least resources.”

 

Belize’s performance in the second leg of the match has sparked heavy criticism from the public. The game, played on Tuesday night at Costa Rica’s National Stadium, saw Team Belize fall six goals to one. Costa Rica scored three goals within the first seven minutes. Belize’s Carlos Bernardez managed to score the team’s only goal. After the defeat, newly appointed Minister of Sports, Anthony Mahler, took to Facebook to reassure Belizeans that sports in the country will be restructured, reset, and reimagined, reinforcing his commitment from last week.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Sports (File: Mar 19, 2025)

“Minister Devin Daly and I have the will and the urgency and the drive to get it done. You will see marked improvement within the first hundred days, I assure you and the nation of that. We nuh come fuh play, we come to work serious.”

However, it’s still unclear what Minister Mahler and his Minister of State, Devin Daly, can do to get involved in the affairs of the FFB, given that the organization primarily answers to FIFA. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez