The historic game that ended in Panamanian punches left Mexico victorious… for now.
The 2015 Gold Cup has left many in outrage after questionable penalty calls have been made in not one but two games, ultimately benefiting Mexico.
Human Error or Something More?
As of yesterday, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has agreed to review games played by Panama and Costa Rica against Mexico during the 2015 Gold Cup. “The confederation takes these claims extremely seriously,” said CONCACAF in their formal statement. “[We] will look into them immediately.”
The investigation so far has brought Referee Mark Geiger of the Panama-Mexico match to admit “officiating errors had been made,” errors which inevitably “impacted the outcome [of the game].” Even so, CONCACAF does not appear interested in disciplinary action. According to the confederation’s president Alfredo Hawit, “such human errors are part of the game.”
Great Power, Great Corruption
Unfortunately, Hawit’s predecessors have left CONCACAF’s reputation in less than honorable status. A U.S. federal indictment charged both Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner with racketeering, bribery and even money laundering. As reported by Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch:
[quote_center]”The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States. It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. And it has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable.[/quote_center]
Is CONCACAF’s promise to investigate the change we’ve all been waiting for? Stay tuned.
