Login / RegisterI hope the "Incognito" function in Google Chrome works...I'll clear all browsing history just to be sure.
FIFA investigating Canadian women's soccer team after Olympics semi-final loss
FIFA is looking into actions taken by Christine Sinclair and her teammates after Monday's match.
Mike Ridewood
An investigation into actions made by the Canadian women’s soccer team following Monday’s match has been launched by FIFA, the international governing body of soccer. Canada suffered a 4-3 defeat against the United States in the semi-final round at the London Olympics on August 6.
“Following the Olympic women's semi-final match between Canada and the USA played at Old Trafford on the evening of 6 August, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is currently analysing incidents that occurred after the conclusion of the match," read a statement made by FIFA Tuesday (August 7). “Further information will be provided only after the Committee are in possession of all the elements of the case.”
While the “incidents” FIFA is referring to remains unknown, several Canadian players including B.C.’s Christine Sinclair and head coach John Herdman were critical of questionable calls made by referee Christiana Pedersen following the match. Canada will play for the bronze medal against France on Thursday (August 9).
You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.
Every time Canada went ahead she gave the US--prohibitive favourites for gold--an opportunity to get back. There were several other refereeing incidents that aren't even being talked about that the US could have used to manufacture even another one or two goals.
I hope the 30 pieces of silver are well spent.
With respect to the refereeing, Canada got away with bloody murder a few times. Canada's Melissa Tancredi, who finished the match with just one yellow card despite being called for at least seven fouls, stomping on the head of fallen U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd in the box. Tancredi appears to deliberately step back in order to plant a boot on Lloyd's head, but what could have very well been a straight red card that wasn't called at all. The referee did stop play soon after to check on Lloyd's condition, though.
Yet Tancredi still felt it reasonable to accuse referee Christina Pederson of fixing the match to her face during the game. From the Toronto Sun:
When asked what she said to Pederson after the call [that led to the penalty], she said: "I hope you can sleep tonight and put on your American jersey because that's who you played for today. I was honest."
If you add up all the calls and non-calls for each side, they still might not even out in the end. But then again, they rarely do. The point in showing this is simply to illustrate that the Canadian team's conspiracy theories are a bit silly.
As for Tancredi, if this is brought to the attention of FIFA, she could still be punished for it. Colombia's Lady Andrade was later given a two-match ban for punching Wambach in the face during a group-stage match after the referee missed it.
The reality is that the Olympics have been riddled with disease for as long as I can remember - corrupt judges, doping, incompetence, and on and on. So let's not pretend that this particular referee was unusual. It was only "notable" because it was a critical game that drew media attention.
No real referee, especially in a game of that import, would ever stand for such disrespectful and in-your-face behaviour from a player more than once.
After perhaps the seventh time, she caved and awarded a free kick? Instead of merely booking the keeper and adding a few seconds to the clock at the end of the half?
Not to mention the US ball played a good metre out of bounds and brought back into play without being called by the ref or line officials.
And the US handball that was not called, one that was more avoidable than the Canadian one that led to the tying goal and extra time that never should have been.
But soccer is somehow holy and referees are infallible? In appeal/replay situations, at least three of yesterday's calls would have been overturned, and would have changed the result of the game.
The only sport that comes close to soccer, in terms of stubborn denial of clear evidence, is baseball.
As for Melissa Tancredi, who has played brilliantly throughout the Olympics , her comment about wearing a U.S.A. shirt? what are we, in kindergarten? That's almost as bad as threatening to pull the Canadian team if FIFA sanctions us. This is the Olympics folks; not some sandlot street hockey game where if I don't get my way I'm taking my puck and going home.
FIFA has a bad enough reputation, they MUST investigate and take action if necessary, when comments like this are made about their officials and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. I’m proud of our team, their play on the pitch and hope they get the Bronze medal. But they should be ashamed of their whining; I know I am
Please read the following two books about the Olympic Organization, and you'll see that this organization is saturated with corruption and is nothing but a Private Political Party that is responsible to no one.
"The New Lords of the Rings" by Andrew Jennings
"Cracked Ice" by Sonia Bianchetti Garbato
Actually, the Games are such a joke now, no one should probably get too exercised about it. But unfair play is still unfair play, and the women have been training for too long and too hard to just let it go with a sporting shrug.
Want to try for five?
Reality check people!
Pages