Copa de Oro 2015: Panama punished for controversial elimination against Mexico

The Concacaf suspended two Panamanian players for two matches each after the controversial elimination of their national team against Mexico in the semifinals of the Copa de Oro. The "Tri" coach, Miguel Herrera, was also fined for not complying with rules regarding press attention.

Mexico advanced to the final of the Concacaf tournament thanks to a 2-1 victory over Panama in a match that was decided in extra time after the "Tri" tied the game with a nonexistent penalty in the 90 minutes of regulation time.

"Panamanian player Jaime Penedo has been suspended for two matches for assaulting the assistant referee at the end of the match," said Concacaf about the ruling of the Disciplinary Committee of the Copa de Oro.

"Panamanian player Luis Tejada also received a two-match suspension, one for the red card he received during the semifinal match and an additional match for not leaving the field promptly after his expulsion," the entity added.

The controversy over the referee's performance continued after the match. Panamanian coach Hernán Darío "Bolillo" Gómez said in a press conference that he considered retiring from football after witnessing the robbery his team suffered.

The Panamanians displayed a banner with the phrase "Concacaf corrupt thieves" in the area where the players pass through when exiting the dressing rooms.

On Friday, the president of the Panamanian federation said that the match was "fixed" and called on FIFA and Concacaf to help clarify what happened.

Concacaf said on Friday that it studied the official report and the video of the semifinal. "The Panamanian Football Federation has been fined an undisclosed amount for misconduct on and off the field," they highlighted.

The entity added that Herrera "was punished with an undisclosed amount for violating the media regulations for participating associations," although it did not specify the reason.

Source: Reuters.

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July 24, 2015