2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

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2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007
Coupe du Monde de Football des Moins de 20 ans 2007
190px
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country Canada
Dates 30 June – 22 July
Teams 24 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s) 6 (in 6 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  Argentina (6th title)
Runners-up  Czech Republic
Third place  Chile
Fourth place  Austria
Tournament statistics
Matches played 52
Goals scored 135 (2.6 per match)
Attendance 1,195,299 (22,987 per match)
Top scorer(s) Argentina Sergio Agüero (6 goals)
Best player Argentina Sergio Agüero
← 2005
2009 →

The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth overall. Argentine player Sergio Agüero was given the FIFA U-20 Golden Shoe (top scorer, with six goals) and the FIFA U-20 Golden Ball (best player of the tournament), while Japan earned the FIFA Fair Play Award.

The tournament featured 24 teams coming from six continental confederations; Canada qualified automatically as hosts, while the remaining teams qualified based on their rankings at the respective continental U-20 (U-19 in Europe's case) tournaments. UEFA (Europe) qualified six teams; AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) and CONMEBOL (South America) four teams each; and OFC (Oceania) one team.

The tournament took place in a variety of venues across the country – Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Victoria and Burnaby (Vancouver) – with the showcase stadium being Toronto's new National Soccer Stadium[1] where the final match was held.

On 28 June 2007, two days before the inaugural match, it was reported that 950,000 tickets had been sold,[2] making it the largest single-sport event ever taking place in the country,[3] and on 3 July, the tournament organisers sold the millionth ticket.[4] On 19 July, the semifinal match between Chile and Argentina marked this edition as the most attended in the tournament's history, with an accumulated attendance of 1,156,187 spectators, surpassing Mexico 1983's 1,155,160 spectators.[5] Final attendance totalled 1,195,299.

Venues

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup venues.svg Victoria Burnaby Edmonton
Royal Athletic Park Swangard Stadium Commonwealth Stadium
Capacity: 14,500 Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 60,081
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Royal Athletic Park Victoria.jpg Swangard stadium Burnaby.jpg Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, August 2005.jpg
Toronto Ottawa Montreal
National Soccer Stadium Frank Clair Stadium Olympic Stadium
Capacity: 20,195 Capacity: 26,559 Capacity: 66,308
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West-stand-bmo-field.jpg Lansdowne Park 3.jpg Olympiastadion Montreal.jpg

Qualification

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup final rankings.

Twenty-three teams qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. As the host team, Canada received an automatic bid, bringing the total number of teams to twenty-four for the tournament. The draw for the group stages took place on 3 March 2007 in Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Toronto.

Confederation Qualifying Tournament Qualifier(s)
AFC (Asia) AFC Youth Championship 2006  Japan
 Jordan1
 North Korea1
 South Korea
CAF (Africa) 2007 African Youth Championship  Congo1
 Gambia1
 Nigeria
 Zambia
CONCACAF
(North, Central America & Caribbean)		 2007 CONCACAF U20 Tournament  Costa Rica
 Mexico
 Panama
 United States
CONMEBOL (South America) 2007 South American Youth Championship  Argentina
 Brazil
 Chile
 Uruguay
OFC (Oceania) 2007 OFC U-20 Championship  New Zealand1
UEFA (Europe) 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship  Austria
 Czech Republic
 Poland
 Portugal
 Scotland
 Spain
Host nation  Canada
1.^ Teams that made their debut.

Match officials

Confederation Referee Assistants
AFC Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia) Thanom Borikut (Thailand)
Mu Yuxin (China)
Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan)
Bahadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)
CAF Mohamed Benouza (Algeria) Amar Talbi (Algeria)
Mazari Kerai (Algeria)
CONCACAF Steven Depiero (Canada) Héctor Vergara (Canada)
Joe Fletcher (Canada)
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) Roberto Giron (Honduras)
Daniel Williamson (Panama)
Germán Arredondo (Mexico) Héctor Delgadillo (Mexico)
Francisco Pérez (Mexico)
Enrico Wijngaarde (Suriname) Anthony Garwood (Jamaica)
Ricardo Morgan (Jamaica)
Terry Vaughn (United States) Chris Strickland (United States)
George Gansner (United States)
CONMEBOL Hernando Buitrago (Colombia) Abraham González (Colombia)
Rafael Rivas (Colombia)
OFC Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) Brent Best (New Zealand)
Kaloata Chilia (Vanuatu)
UEFA Howard Webb (England) Mike Mullarkey (England)
Darren Cann (England)
Wolfgang Stark (Germany) Jan-Hendrik Salver (Germany)
Volker Wezel (Germany)
Viktor Kassai (Hungary) Gábor Erős (Hungary)
Tibor Vámos (Hungary)
Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) Fermín Martínez Ibáñez (Spain)
Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (Spain)
Martin Hansson (Sweden) Stefan Wittberg (Sweden)
Henrik Andrén (Sweden)

Squads

For a list of the squads see 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup squads

Group stage

Rubin Okotie of Austria vs. Destin Onka of Congo at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on 2 July 2007.

The 24 participating teams were distributed between six groups of four teams each, according to a draw held on 3 March 2007. The groups are contested on a league system, where each team plays one time against the other teams in the same group, for a total of six matches per group. Each group winner and runner-up teams, as well as the best four third-placed teams, qualify for the first round of the knockout stage (round of 16).

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners, runners-up, and best four third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Chile 3 2 1 0 6 0 +6 7
 Austria 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
 Congo 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
 Canada 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0

1 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Canada  0–3  Chile
Report Medina Goal 25'
Carmona Goal 54'
Grondona Goal 81'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 20,195
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

2 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Congo  1–1  Austria
Ibara Goal 59' (pen.) Report Hoffer Goal 7'

5 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Austria  1–0  Canada
Okotie Goal 47' Report

5 July 2007
20:30 MDT
02:30 UTC
Chile  3–0  Congo
Sánchez Goal 49'
Medina Goal 75'
Vidal Goal 82'		 Report

8 July 2007
18:00 MDT
00:00 UTC
Canada  0–2  Congo
Report Ngakosso Goal 26'
Ikouma Goal 60'
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 32,058
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

8 July 2007
20:00 EDT
00:00 UTC
Chile  0–0  Austria
Report
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 3 2 1 0 8 5 +3 7
 Zambia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
 Uruguay 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
 Jordan 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1

1 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Jordan  1–1  Zambia
Abdullah Deeb Goal 41' Report Tembo Goal 8' (pen.)
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Terry Vaughn (United States)

1 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Spain  2–2  Uruguay
Adrián L. Goal 71'
Capel Goal 90+3'		 Report Cavani Goal 47'
Suárez Goal 56'
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

4 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Uruguay  1–0  Jordan
Cavani Goal 40' Report
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)

4 July 2007
19:45 PDT
02:45 UTC
Zambia  1–2  Spain
Njobvu Goal 74' Report Suárez Goal 30' (pen.)
Mata Goal 40'
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico)

7 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Spain  4-2  Jordan
Adrián L. Goal 29', 32', 38'
Marquitos Goal 79'		 Report Omran Goal 48'
Deeb Goal 56'
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia)

7 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Uruguay  0-2  Zambia
Report Mulenga Goal 22' (pen.)
Kola Goal 51'
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Mexico 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 9
 Gambia 3 2 0 1 3 4 −1 6
 Portugal 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
 New Zealand 3 0 0 3 1 5 −4 0

2 July 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Portugal  2–0  New Zealand
Gama Goal 45', 61' (pen.) Report
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia)

2 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
Gambia  0–3  Mexico
Report Dos Santos Goal 57'
Moreno Goal 67'
J. Hernández Goal 89'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

5 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
New Zealand  0–1  Gambia
Report Jallow Goal 22'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

5 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Mexico  2–1  Portugal
Dos Santos Goal 48' (pen.)
Barrera Goal 66'		 Report Antunes Goal 89'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

8 July 2007
17:15 EDT
21:15 UTC
Portugal  1–2  Gambia
Condesso Goal 20' Report Jallow Goal 44' (pen.)
Mansally Goal 68'
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 28,402
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

8 July 2007
15:15 MDT
21:15 UTC
New Zealand  1–2  Mexico
Pelter Goal 89' Report Bermúdez Goal 24'
Mares Goal 78'
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 29,792
Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 3 2 1 0 9 3 +6 7
 Poland 3 1 1 1 3 7 −4 4
 Brazil 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
 South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2

30 June 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Poland  1–0  Brazil
Krychowiak Goal 23' Report
Olympic Stadium, Montréal
Attendance: 55,800
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

30 June 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
South Korea  1–1  United States
Shin Young-rok Goal 38' Report Szetela Goal 17'
Olympic Stadium, Montréal
Attendance: 55,800
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

3 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
United States  6–1  Poland
Szetela Goal 9', 51'
Adu Goal 20', 45+3', 85'
Altidore Goal 70'		 Report Janczyk Goal 5'
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 35,801
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

3 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Brazil  3–2  South Korea
Amaral Goal 35'
Pato Goal 48', 59'		 Report Shim Young-sung Goal 83'
Shin Young-rok Goal 89'
Olympic Stadium, Montréal
Attendance: 35,801
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

6 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Brazil  1–2  United States
Lima Goal 64' Report Altidore Goal 25', 81'

6 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Poland  1–1  South Korea
Janczyk Goal 45' Report Lee Sang-ho Goal 71'
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 34,912
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (Suriname)

Group E

Czech Republic vs. DPR Korea at the Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa on 3 July 2007.
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 3 2 1 0 7 0 +7 7
 Czech Republic 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
 North Korea 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
 Panama 3 0 1 2 1 8 −7 1

30 June 2007
16:30 EDT
20:30 UTC
North Korea  0–0  Panama
Report
Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 26,559
Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

30 June 2007
19:15 EDT
23:15 UTC
Argentina  0–0  Czech Republic
Report
Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 26,559
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

3 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
Czech Republic  2–2  North Korea
Kalouda Goal 56'
Fenin Goal 66'		 Report Kim Kum-il Goal 12'
Jon Kwang-ik Goal 89' (pen.)

3 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Panama  0–6  Argentina
Report Moralez Goal 20', 27'
Zárate Goal 23'
Agüero Goal 25', 62'
Di María Goal 76'

6 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
Czech Republic  2–1  Panama
Kalouda Goal 79'
Střeštík Goal 82'		 Report Barahona Goal 84'
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 34,912
Referee: Steven Depiero (Canada)

6 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
Argentina  1–0  North Korea
Agüero Goal 35' Report
Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 26,559
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Group F

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Japan 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7
 Nigeria 3 2 1 0 3 0 +3 7
 Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
 Scotland 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0

1 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Japan  3–1  Scotland
Morishima Goal 43'
Umesaki Goal 57'
Aoyama Goal 79'		 Report Campbell Goal 82'
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico)

1 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Nigeria  1–0  Costa Rica
Ideye Goal 75' Report
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)

4 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Costa Rica  0–1  Japan
Report Tanaka Goal 68'
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 10,500
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

4 July 2007
19:45 PDT
02:45 UTC
Scotland  0–2  Nigeria
Report Bala Goal 49', 78'

7 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Japan  0–0  Nigeria
Report
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico)

7 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Scotland  1–2  Costa Rica
Reynolds Goal 18' Report Herrera Goal 57'
McDonald Goal 90+2'

Ranking of third-placed teams

Group Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
A  Congo 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
B  Uruguay 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
C  Portugal 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
D  Brazil 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
F  Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
E  North Korea 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2

Knockout stage

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
11 July – Edmonton            
  Austria  2
14 July – Toronto
  Gambia  1  
  Austria (aet)  2
11 July – Toronto
    United States  1  
  United States (aet)  2
18 July – Edmonton
  Uruguay  1  
  Austria  0
11 July – Victoria
    Czech Republic  2  
  Japan  2 (3)
14 July – Edmonton
  Czech Republic (p)  2 (4)  
  Spain  1 (3)
11 July – Burnaby
    Czech Republic (p)  1 (4)  
  Spain (aet)  4
22 July – Toronto
  Brazil  2  
  Czech Republic  1
12 July – Edmonton
    Argentina  2
  Chile  1
15 July – Montreal
  Portugal  0  
  Chile (aet)  4
12 July – Ottawa
    Nigeria  0  
  Zambia  1
19 July – Toronto
  Nigeria  2  
  Chile  0
12 July – Montreal
    Argentina  3   Third Place
  Mexico  3
15 July – Ottawa 22 July – Toronto
  Congo  0  
  Argentina  1   Austria  0
12 July – Toronto
    Mexico  0     Chile  1
  Argentina  3
  Poland  1  

Round of 16

11 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Austria  2–1  Gambia
Prödl Goal 45+1'
Hoffer Goal 81'		 Report Gómez Goal 69'
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 18,721
Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

11 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
United States  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Uruguay
Cardaccio Goal 87' (o.g.)
Bradley Goal 107'		 Report Suárez Goal 73'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

11 July 2007
20:15 PDT
03:15 UTC
Spain  4–2 (a.e.t.)  Brazil
Piqué Goal 43'
J. García Goal 84'
Bueno Goal 102'
Adrián L. Goal 120+1'		 Report Lima Goal 39'
Pato Goal 41'
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

11 July 2007
20:15 PDT
03:15 UTC
Japan  2–2 (a.e.t.)  Czech Republic
Makino Goal 22'
Morishima Goal 47' (pen.)		 Report Kúdela Goal 74' (pen.)
Mareš Goal 77' (pen.)
  Penalties  
Yasuda Penalty missed
Aoki Penalty scored
Makino Penalty scored
Morishima Penalty missed
Kashiwagi Penalty scored		 3–4 Penalty scored Fenin
Penalty scored Kúdela
Penalty scored Suchý
Penalty missed Pekhart
Penalty scored Okleštěk

12 July 2007
16:45 EDT
20:45 UTC
Zambia  1–2  Nigeria
Kola Goal 33' Report Elderson Goal 3'
Akabueze Goal 57'
Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa
Attendance: 22,531
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

12 July 2007
16:45 EDT
20:45 UTC
Argentina  3–1  Poland
Di María Goal 40'
Agüero Goal 46', 86'		 Report Janczyk Goal 33'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

12 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Mexico  3–0  Congo
Dos Santos Goal 23' (pen.)
Esparza Goal 85'
Barrera Goal 90+4'		 Report
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 40,204
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

12 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Chile  1–0  Portugal
Vidal Goal 45' Report

Quarter-finals

14 July 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Austria  2–1 (a.e.t.)  United States
Okotie Goal 43'
Hoffer Goal 105'		 Report Altidore Goal 15'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

14 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Spain  1–1 (a.e.t.)  Czech Republic
Mata Goal 110' Report Kalouda Goal 103'
  Penalties  
Mata Penalty scored
Adrián G. Penalty scored
Valiente Penalty missed
J. García Penalty scored
Piqué Penalty missed		 3–4 Penalty scored Fenin
Penalty scored Suchý
Penalty scored Kúdela
Penalty scored Pekhart

15 July 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Chile  4–0 (a.e.t.)  Nigeria
Grondona Goal 96'
Isla Goal 114' (pen.), 117'
Vidangossy Goal 120+2'		 Report
Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Attendance: 46,252
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

15 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Argentina  1–0  Mexico
Moralez Goal 45' Report

Semi-finals

18 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Austria  0–2  Czech Republic
Report Mičola Goal 4'
Fenin Goal 15'
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Attendance: 28,401
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

19 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Chile  0–3  Argentina
Report Di María Goal 12'
Yacob Goal 65'
Moralez Goal 90+3'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Match for third place

22 July 2007
12:15 EDT
16:15 UTC
Austria  0–1  Chile
Report Martínez Goal 45+1'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

Final

22 July 2007
15:15 EDT
19:15 UTC
Czech Republic  1–2  Argentina
Fenin Goal 60' Report Agüero Goal 62'
Zárate Goal 86'
National Soccer Stadium, Toronto
Attendance: 19,526
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

Goalscorers

6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

Awards

Golden Ball Silver Ball Bronze Ball
Argentina Sergio Agüero Argentina Maximiliano Moralez Mexico Giovani dos Santos
Golden Shoe Silver Shoe Bronze Shoe
Argentina Sergio Agüero Spain Adrián López Argentina Maximiliano Moralez
FIFA Fair Play Award
 Japan

Final ranking

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Argentina 7 6 1 0 16 2 +14 19
2  Czech Republic 7 2 4 1 10 7 +3 10
3  Chile 7 5 1 1 12 3 +9 16
4  Austria 7 3 2 2 6 6 0 11
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  Mexico 5 4 0 1 10 3 +7 12
6  Spain 5 3 2 0 13 8 +5 11
7  United States 5 3 1 1 12 6 +6 10
8  Nigeria 5 3 1 1 5 5 0 10
Eliminated in the Round of 16
9  Japan 4 2 2 0 6 3 +3 8
10  Gambia 4 2 0 2 4 6 –2 6
11  Zambia 4 1 1 2 5 5 0 4
12  Uruguay 4 1 1 2 5 6 –1 4
13  Congo 4 1 1 2 3 7 –4 4
14  Poland 4 1 1 2 4 10 –6 4
15  Portugal 4 1 0 3 4 5 –1 3
16  Brazil 4 1 0 3 6 9 –3 3
Eliminated at the group stage
17  Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 2 3 –1 3
18  South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 –1 2
19  North Korea 3 0 2 1 2 3 –1 2
20  Jordan 3 0 1 2 3 6 –3 1
21  Panama 3 0 1 2 1 8 –7 1
22  Scotland 3 0 0 3 2 7 –5 0
23  New Zealand 3 0 0 3 1 5 –4 0
24  Canada 3 0 0 3 0 6 –6 0

Controversies

Nigerian accusations of racism

The Chile–Nigeria quarter-final match took place on FIFA's "Say No To Racism Day." During extra time, Chile's Mauricio Isla scored at the 96th minute. The Nigerians argued that it was offside, though referee Howard Webb allowed the goal to stand. Replays showed that a defender was caught out of place on an offside trap. Goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was shown the yellow card for his protest.[6][7]

At a post-game news conference, Nigerian coach Ladan Bosso said, "What happened on the pitch, the officiating, I think FIFA has a long way to go to beat racism, because that official showed racism." When asked if he felt Webb was a racist, Bosso said only that "It's good for FIFA to bring in the fight against racism, but they have to follow it to the letter, so the implementation will be done."[7] The coach was fined CHF 11,000 and banned for four months, as the disciplinary committee found him guilty of "offensive behaviour" under the terms of article 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The Nigerian Football Association was also sanctioned for allowing the players to wear T-shirts with religious statements under their game jerseys. This was a violation of the regulations of the tournament, which state, "Players and officials are not allowed to display political, religious, commercial or personal messages in any language or form on their playing or team kits ..."[6]

Chilean clash with police

On 19 July 2007, there was a very controversial semi-final match between Chile and Argentina. Referee Wolfgang Stark was criticized by the Chilean players for his officiating, having "lost control of the match early"[8] and for issuing seven yellow cards (out of nine players) and two red cards against Chile during the match.[9] In total, he issued 53 fouls, 30 of which he charged to Chile.[10] Chilean striker Nicolás Medina hinted that he felt that the referee was favouring the Argentine team, stating, "Eleven against eleven, the game would have been much more fair."[11] Added to this is the perception that the Argentine players were able to employ "diving" tactics and "theatrics"[11] to influence the referee's calls.

Following the match, Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by livid Chilean players that were restrained by members of the Toronto Police Service. Stark then had to be escorted off of the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by police officers for fear that he would be attacked by the crowd and/or Chilean players at the National Soccer Stadium.[12]

Afterwards, several players and delegates of the Chilean team were involved in a brawl with police outside Toronto's National Soccer Stadium,[13] which ended with several Chileans injured, then handcuffed and detained inside the stadium. How the events unfolded is not unanimous, with two currently existing versions.

Players' version

According to the Chilean players and some witnesses, at 10:22 p.m. (local time) Chilean player Isaías Peralta – before getting on the team bus – walked towards a crowd of Chilean fans stationed behind a security fence some 50 metres away from the bus, but was stopped by about ten policemen some 30 metres away from the fence. A heated discussion took place, where Peralta (who speaks no English) was verbally and physically abused by the policemen. Peralta was tasered by one police officer and he lost consciousness for 20 minutes. Chilean player Arturo Vidal arrived at the scene to help his teammate and got involved in a struggle with the police. Other eyewitnesses stated it was Chilean goalkeeper Cristopher Toselli who walked towards the fans when he was grabbed by a security guard, prompting the melee.[14] This was noticed by the other players inside the bus, who also got involved in the struggle with the police. All players – except Peralta, who lay unconscious on the ground – got back on the bus and closed the doors to keep the police out. A policewoman noticed this and threw a tear gas canister (or something to that effect) inside the bus. The players panicked and started breaking windows to let air in. Three minutes later the president of the Chilean National Association of Professional Football (ANFP), Harold Mayne-Nicholls, asked the players to descend from the bus to take a different one. As the players were getting off the bus they were violently detained by police; some players were even handcuffed. Alexis Sánchez – who was coming out of the antidoping test – heard some people screaming and arrived at the scene, but was also beaten by police. The police then took the players back to the stadium. Christian Suárez – arriving from the mixed zone – was also detained.[15] Peralta claimed that after he regained consciousness: "I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face;"[16] and also claimed the police removed an object the size of a match from his back so the press wouldn't be able to see it.[17] Other Chilean players said to the Chilean press that the Canadian police treated them like criminals, used pepper spray and Tasers on them, threatened them with legal action, and that while they were on the team's dressing room showing each other's wounds, they were laughed at.[15][17] During the Sunday final Mayne-Nicholls – who is also a FIFA official – allegedly identified the policeman who gave the order to use gas on the players and asked him why he had acted that way; Mayne-Nicholls claimed the policeman responded: "We use gas and electricity when we deal with criminals like yours."[18]

Police version

The police version of the events, as given by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, claimed that the melee began when Chilean players got into a scuffle with a rival fan.[19] He added that "members of the Chilean team then decided to direct some of their aggressive behaviour towards my officers... The job of my officers was to respond in a firm, but fair, manner to end that violence. They are trained to do so, and that is what they did."[19] According to eyewitness accounts, the players on the bus began throwing things at police through the windows and tried to grab officers from inside the damaged bus.[20] FIFA spokesman John Schumacher said, "The Chilean players were detained by the police to de-escalate the situation that was taking place in front of the stadium."[16]

Eyewitness accounts stated that the altercation began as the Chilean players were heading to their bus, across the driveway from the doors of the stadium. There was apparently yelling near the bus, and then a scuffle erupted. Nathan Denette, in a reported for The Canadian Press, stated, "Next thing you know, the bus just unloads and there's eight, 10 players come off the bus and there's just fists flying everywhere, between the cops, the security guards, a couple of ladies were involved that were security." As the conflict became more heated, a police officer did use a Taser – though it was unclear if it was used on a player or an official with the Chilean team – after which the brawl became even more intense.[16] It was also asserted that any bruises sustained by anyone involved were "tiny."[21]

Press shut-out

The Chilean press alleged that all press were removed from the area by security personnel since the incident's start, threatened with the removal of their tapes if they recorded anything and locked inside a room for several minutes.[22]

Aftermath

Ten Chilean team members were detained over three hours and then released without charges.[23] FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the next day at a press conference in Toronto that the incident was "regrettable" and that he "apologized in the name of FIFA."[24] The ANFP (Chilean Professional Football Association) hired a Toronto law firm to pursue legal action against the Toronto police.[15]

In Chile, the incident was on the front page of every major newspaper. The Canadian embassy in Santiago received a bomb threat and angry Chileans protested outside the embassy with signs reading "Racist Canada."[25] Chile President Michelle Bachelet said that the incident was "especially serious because, in our opinion, the Chilean delegation suffered unjustified aggression,"[24] and lodged a formal protest with the Canadian government.[26] In response, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper remarked that "international soccer matches are hotly contested and often become very emotional. As you know, there are processes in Canada by which the authorities review these kinds of incidents and I don't intend to comment further."[26]

It was reported in the Canadian media on 30 July 2007 that Isaías Peralta had confessed to Santiago's El Mercurio that one of the Chilean team members had punched a female police office in the face before Peralta had been tasered, but maintained that the Toronto police had assaulted the Chilean team members before they retaliated. The following day, however, Peralta denied making the comments.[27] Police spokesperson Mark Pugash affirmed a female officer had been hit in the face, and stated the Chilean's violent behaviour prompted police to use Tasers and pepper spray, upholding the story that the Chileans had started the mêlée by confronting an Argentine fan.[28] After an internal review headed by Superintendent Jim Ramer – in which witnesses, including event security officials, members of the Ontario Soccer Association, the BMO Field event coordinator, and the driver of the Chilean bus, offered statements – a report issued by the Toronto Police Service on 31 July 2007 found that officers had acted professionally and with "an immense amount of restraint" during the conflict outside BMO Field, in which Chilean players "punched, kicked, spat on and kicked" police and security staff. The report stated that the violence started when two people not involved in the game confronted each other. Security guards first attempted to intervene, and then police, which is when a Chilean player punched a female police officer in the face. From that point, the report said the violence escalated; Chilean players dismantled the armrests and footrests from the bus seats, and smashed the windows in order to spit at and throw these objects, plus D-cell batteries, clothes hangers, and cans of deodorant at the police. Four officers were reportedly injured by projectiles. FIFA agreed to pay for the $35,000 in damages to the team's rented bus.[27]

Harold Mayne-Nicholls, chair of the Football Federation of Chile and a witness to the event, said, "I didn't see any Chilean player hitting any officer except between all the struggling." Patricio Bascunan, president of the Salvador Allende Cultural Society of Toronto, said an independent review was needed.[27]

Disciplinary measures

Chile's Jaime Grondona was suspended for nine months at all levels (domestic and international) and fined CHF 7,000 (including procedural costs) for assaulting match officials. The Chilean football association was fined CHF 15,000 for "team misconduct".

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Soccer Stadium" was the temporary name of the BMO Field during this tournament, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship of stadia unless the stadium sponsor is also an official FIFA sponsor.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ FIFA.com[dead link]
  10. ↑ [dead link]Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Argentina dives to finals
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ [Reuters: Chile soccer players clash with Toronto police; 20 July 2007]
  14. ↑ Campbell, Morgan; Toronto Star: CSA seeking witnesses to Chile brawl; 24 July 2007
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 La Tercera 21 July 2007 edition
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 CTV News: Chile officials blame T.O. police for soccer brawl; 20 July 2007
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sub 20: Los jugadores contaron su impactante versión de los hechos", El Mercurio Online, agencias. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  18. ↑ "Mayne-Nicholls relató inéditos detalles de golpiza en Canadá" La Tercera. Retrieved 24 July 2007.[dead link]
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Chilean officials blame Police for melee, tsn.ca. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
  20. ↑ "Chile officials say Toronto police to blame for soccer team's post-match brawl" Canadian Press. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  21. ↑ [Warmington, Joe; Toronto Sun: Chileans' conduct shameful; 23 July 2007]
  22. ↑ El Mercurio 20 July 2007 edition
  23. ↑ La Tercera 22 July 2007 edition.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Chile football players face FIFA probe after brawl", Reuters. Retrieved 21 July 2007.[dead link]
  25. ↑ "Toronto melee a global dust-up", thestar.com. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Babage, Maria, T.O. cops under scrutiny, Slam.ca, 20 July 2007[dead link]
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Powell, Betsy; Dale, Daniel; Toronto Star: Officers cleared in soccer scuffle; 31 July 2007
  28. ↑ Dale, Daniel; Toronto Star: Chilean player admits officer was punched; 30 July 2007

External links

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