Mexico defeated Jamaica 3-1 in the Gold Cup Final on Sunday, bringing the shambolic tournament, finally, to a close. Despite putting in a dominating performance for 90 minutes against Jamaica, few but the most blindly partisan supporters of El Tri will claim Mexico stood out as this tournament’s clear victor. In fact, some might argue, from the stands to the penalty box, the 2015 Gold Cup saw little that could be claimed as truly, unambiguously, ‘victorious.’
USA’s Woeful Cup Defense
For fans of the United States Men’s National Team, this will be a tournament to forget. Having stuttered throughout the group stage, the USMNT finally seemed to have it together in their 6-0 drubbing of Cuba in the third group match. They managed to squeak by Haiti 1-0 in the Quarterfinals, and then it all fell apart. The Americans lost 2-1 to Jamaica in the Semifinals, having gone down 2-0 in the first half after a goal against the run of play, followed by a fantastic free kick conceded by Brad Guzan’s handling of the ball beyond the box. The US stormed back in the second half, grabbing a goal thanks to the heroics of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, but unable to grab an equalizer, saw their Championship hopes dashed.
Supporters may have hoped, or even expected the US to come back and grab something from the Third Place Match, but the American team served up a lackluster performance. Despite having defeated Panama once already in this tournament, the USMNT was completely outplayed, watching Panama put a full 12 shots on target to their own pathetic 2. Brad Guzan’s fine game kept them in it, but it was a just finish that saw Panama win the match on penalties over an unconvincing US team.
2015 CONCACAF’s Darkest Hour
If, for fans of the USA, the Americans’ defeat was the biggest disappointment, the tournament’s biggest controversy was Mexico’s back-to-back controversial penalties, dubious decisions that sent them through both of the tournaments knockout rounds and into the final. First, Mexico and Costa Rica were tied at 0-0 in the Quarterfinal in the final moments of extra time, when the referee gave an extremely dubious penalty in the 122nd minute. Then, in the Semifinal, Panama were leading 1-0 in the 89th minute—despite being down to 10 men—when the referee once again made a controversial penalty decision.
Panamanian defender and team captain Román Torres, who had earlier put his team into the lead with a great header, attempted to clear the ball from his own box, collided with his goalkeeper, and fell backwards onto the ball. On the ground, his upper arm contacted the ball as he was rolling on top of it. The referee gave a handball penalty, and Mexico once again survived into extra time, in which they won the game on another, less dubious, penalty. (Full match highlights here)
The decision was so controversial that Pedro Chaluja, the President of the Panama Football Federation, called for investigations into match fixing. “Sadly, we share the disillusion [with Costa Rica for their Quarterfinal result] of having to call attention to the poor refereeing decisions that were deliberate and motivated by an intention to protect third parties,” Chaluja said. “It is our perception that this match was fixed and not by the Mexican Football Federation but rather by others.”
In response, CONCACAF released a statement following an investigation, admitting that there had been “officiating errors” in the Panama – Mexico match. To CONCACAF’s “regret,” these errors ultimately “impacted the outcome of the game.” The much more serious allegations of match fixing, however, were met with silence which, in this case, is anything but golden.
Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Chuck Blazer, Jack Warner, and Costas Takkas: the list of CONCACAF affiliated officials who are implicated in corruption is already extensive, and pending US Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s ongoing investigation, may even grow even further. Needless to say, CONCACAF could’ve done with a smooth and successful Gold Cup this summer. What we’ve seen, sadly, has been anything but. The refereeing decisions in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal resulting in Mexico’s Final berth were themselves atrocious, and given CONCACAF’s manifest precedent for corruption, the allegations of match-fixing—whatever their ultimate validity—cannot be written off as entirely ludicrous.
Trashy Support
Bribery and match-fixing are not, however, the only shameful acts associated with this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. Unlike the aforementioned allegations, the egregious and unacceptable behavior of some supporters of the Mexican National Team is not hypothetical; it’s empirical. For three consecutive matches, fans of El Tri pelted opposing players with debris. First, and perhaps most poignantly, Joevin Jones of Trinidad and Tobago faced a barrage of garbage as he lined up to take a corner kick in the final moments of his team’s final group stage match against Mexico. Down 3-4, Trinidad desperately needed an equalizer, a goal that would see them top of that group. Watch as Jones looks to the stands in vain for protection against the onslaught of trash—then watch Trinidad score from his corner kick. Even if poetic, with the possible exception of Panama’s Third Place victory, Trinidad’s equalizer was to be one of the final moments of justice in this year’s tournament.
In the Quarterfinal, fans of El Tri jettisoned debris once more, as this time Costa Rica players protesting Mexico’s dubious penalty were the targets. And then, it happened yet again, when Panama players celebrating Ramon Torres’ goal were showered with beer cups—some filled to the brim—standing near the corner flag. (See previous video links to Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches.) We are all responsible for our own actions, and ultimate culpability lies with the fans who chose to throw whatever they could find at opposing players, bringing disgrace to their team, their nation, and themselves. But that does not mean CONCACAF is blameless. Trinidad and Tobago’s Joevin Jones’ reaction is a case in point: he looks up toward the stands, to the thin air where security might be, raising his arms slightly in a gesture of both futility and disbelief. Whatever the spin laid on by FIFA officials, 2015 will be remembered as a year in which—from the stands, to the pitch, to the ledger books—CONCACAF could be trusted nowhere.