Costa Rica: "Phantom Lady" Reported in Stadium

Source: EFE News Agency and El Nuevo Diario (Nicaragua) - http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni

Date: 08.30.06

COSTA RICA: "PHANTOM LADY" APPEARS IN SAN JOSE's SAPRISSA STADIUM

Ghost frightened two sports officials before kicking off a game between Costa Rica's Saprissa and Nicaragua's Estel? Real

San Jose (EFE) - Two Central American sports officials were "frightened" on Tuesday night by a "phantom lady" who vanished before their eyes when they followed her to ask her to leave San Jos?'s Ricardo Saprissa Stadium.

The unusual event took place before the game for the Central American Soccer Union's Cup (UNCAF) between Costa Rica's Saprissa and the Real Estel?, which had to be played behind close doors due to penalties imposed by CONCACAF.

In a statement made to "Radio Monumental", Mario Escobar, the UNCAF delegate, claimed to have seen, while in the company of Jorge Alarcon, the Saprissa's general manager, nine people in the skybox. Among them was woman dressed in white, approximately 30 years old.

Escobar asked the people to leave the stadium as a closed game was about to be played, but the woman entered an empty broadcasting booth. The official followed her straightway, only to be startled by the fact that there was no one inside the booth at all.

"I don't know how to explain it. When we said that no unaccredited personnel could be there, she went into the booth (...). I was three meters away and thought that she was being concealed, but she went into the booth and there's no bathroom in which to hide."

Sports commentators broadcasting the event had fun with this "otherworldly story"; the game ended with a 1-0 victory by Saprissa over Estel? in what was a low-quality match.

(translation (c) 2006, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Christian Quintero)