2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007
Coupe du Monde de Football des Moins de 20 ans 2007

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

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

Victoria Burnaby Edmonton
Royal Athletic Park Swangard Stadium Commonwealth Stadium
Capacity: 14,500 Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 60,081
48°25′52.6″N 123°21′14.6″W / 48.431278°N 123.354056°W / 48.431278; -123.354056 (Royal Athletic Park) 49°13′51.0″N 123°01′17.0″W / 49.230833°N 123.021389°W / 49.230833; -123.021389 (Swangard Stadium) 53°33′34.6″N 113°28′34.2″W / 53.559611°N 113.476167°W / 53.559611; -113.476167 (Commonwealth Stadium)
Toronto Ottawa Montreal
National Soccer Stadium Frank Clair Stadium Olympic Stadium
Capacity: 20,195 Capacity: 26,559 Capacity: 66,308
43°37′59.5″N 79°25′06.8″W / 43.633194°N 79.418556°W / 43.633194; -79.418556 (BMO Field) 45°23′55.8″N 75°41′03.6″W / 45.398833°N 75.684333°W / 45.398833; -75.684333 (Frank Clair Stadium) 45°33′28.8″N 73°33′07.2″W / 45.558000°N 73.552000°W / 45.558000; -73.552000 (Olympic Stadium)

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) 2006 AFC Youth Championship  Japan
 Jordan1
 North Korea1
 South Korea
CAF (Africa) 2007 African Youth Championship  Congo1
 Gambia1
 Nigeria
 Zambia
CONCACAF
(North, Central America & Caribbean)
2007 U-20 World Cup CONCACAF qualifying 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 321060+67
 Austria 312021+15
 Congo 311134−14
 Canada 300306−60

1 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Canada  0–3  Chile
Report Medina  25'
Carmona  54'
Grondona  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  59' (pen.) Report Hoffer  7'

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

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

8 July 2007
18:00 MDT
00:00 UTC
Canada  0–2  Congo
Report Ngakosso  26'
Ikouma  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 321085+37
 Zambia 311143+14
 Uruguay 311134−14
 Jordan 301236−31

1 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Jordan  1–1  Zambia
Abdullah Deeb  41' Report Tembo  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.  71'
Capel  90+3'
Report Cavani  47'
Suárez  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  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  74' Report Suárez  30' (pen.)
Mata  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.  29', 32', 38'
Marquitos  79'
Report Omran  48'
Deeb  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  22' (pen.)
Kola  51'
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Mexico 330072+59
 Gambia 320134−16
 Portugal 31024403
 New Zealand 300315−40

2 July 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Portugal  2–0  New Zealand
Gama  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  57'
Moreno  67'
J. Hernández  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  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  48' (pen.)
Barrera  66'
Report Antunes  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  20' Report Jallow  44' (pen.)
Mansally  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  89' Report Bermúdez  24'
Mares  78'

Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 321093+67
 Poland 311137−44
 Brazil 310245−13
 South Korea 302145−12

30 June 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Poland  1–0  Brazil
Krychowiak  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  38' Report Szetela  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  9', 51'
Adu  20', 45+3', 85'
Altidore  70'
Report Janczyk  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  35'
Pato  48', 59'
Report Shim Young-sung  83'
Shin Young-rok  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  64' Report Altidore  25', 81'

6 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
Poland  1–1  South Korea
Janczyk  45' Report Lee Sang-ho  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 321070+77
 Czech Republic 312043+15
 North Korea 302123−12
 Panama 301218−71

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  56'
Fenin  66'
Report Kim Kum-il  12'
Jon Kwang-ik  89' (pen.)

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

6 July 2007
17:00 EDT
21:00 UTC
Czech Republic  2–1  Panama
Kalouda  79'
Střeštík  82'
Report Barahona  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  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 321041+37
 Nigeria 321030+37
 Costa Rica 310223−13
 Scotland 300327−50

1 July 2007
14:15 PDT
21:15 UTC
Japan  3–1  Scotland
Morishima  43'
Umesaki  57'
Aoyama  79'
Report Campbell  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  75' Report

4 July 2007
17:00 PDT
00:00 UTC
Costa Rica  0–1  Japan
Report Tanaka  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  49', 78'
Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
Attendance: 10,500
Referee: Terry Vaughn (United States)

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  18' Report Herrera  57'
McDonald  90+2'

Ranking of third-placed teams

Group Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
A Congo 311134−14
B Uruguay 311134−14
C Portugal 31024403
D Brazil 310245−13
F Costa Rica 310223−13
E North Korea 302123−12

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 – Burnaby
    Czech Republic  2  
  Spain (aet)  4
14 July – Edmonton
  Brazil  2  
  Spain  1 (3)
11 July – Victoria
    Czech Republic (p)  1 (4)  
  Japan  2 (3)
22 July – Toronto
  Czech Republic (p)  2 (4)  
  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 – Toronto
    Argentina  3   Third Place
  Argentina  3
15 July – Ottawa 22 July – Toronto
  Poland  1  
  Argentina  1   Austria  0
12 July – Montreal
    Mexico  0     Chile  1
  Mexico  3
  Congo  0  

Round of 16

11 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Austria  2–1  Gambia
Prödl  45+1'
Hoffer  81'
Report Gómez  69'

11 July 2007
19:45 EDT
23:45 UTC
United States  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Uruguay
Cardaccio  87' (o.g.)
Bradley  107'
Report Suárez  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  43'
J. García  84'
Bueno  102'
Adrián L.  120+1'
Report Lima  39'
Pato  41'
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)


12 July 2007
16:45 EDT
20:45 UTC
Zambia  1–2  Nigeria
Kola  33' Report Elderson  3'
Akabueze  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  40'
Agüero  46', 86'
Report Janczyk  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  23' (pen.)
Esparza  85'
Barrera  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  45' Report

Quarter-finals

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


15 July 2007
14:15 EDT
18:15 UTC
Chile  4–0 (a.e.t.)  Nigeria
Grondona  96'
Isla  114' (pen.), 117'
Vidangossy  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  45' Report

Semi-finals

18 July 2007
17:45 MDT
23:45 UTC
Austria  0–2  Czech Republic
Report Mičola  4'
Fenin  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  12'
Yacob  65'
Moralez  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  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  60' Report Agüero  62'
Zárate  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 7610162+1419
2  Czech Republic 7241107+310
3  Chile 7511123+916
4  Austria 732266011
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  Mexico 5401103+712
6  Spain 5320138+511
7  United States 5311126+610
8  Nigeria 531155010
Eliminated in the Round of 16
9  Japan 422063+38
10  Gambia 420246–26
11  Zambia 41125504
12  Uruguay 411256–14
13  Congo 411237–44
14  Poland 4112410–64
15  Portugal 410345–13
16  Brazil 410369–33
Eliminated at the group stage
17  Costa Rica 310223–13
18  South Korea 302145–12
19  North Korea 302123–12
20  Jordan 301236–31
21  Panama 301218–71
22  Scotland 300327–50
23  New Zealand 300315–40
24  Canada 300306–60

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. "FIFA U-20 World Cup surpasses 950,000 spectators". CanadaSoccer.com. 28 June 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  3. "History made with Canada 2007 ticket sales". FIFA. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  4. "Fast starts for Mexico, Portugal". FIFA.com. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  5. "Canada sets U-20 World Cup attendance record". CBC Sports. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  6. 1 2 "Don't blame the ref". CBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Nigerian coach levies racism charge against ref". CBC News. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  8. Woolsey, Garth (20 July 2007). "Beautiful game turns ugly". The Star (Toronto). Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  9. FIFA.com Archived 21 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. "Chileans fight with police after loss". CNN (Associated Press). July 20, 2007. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  11. 1 2 Argentina dives to finals
  12. "Argentina advances to FIFA U-20 final". CBC News. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  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. 1 2 3 La Tercera 21 July 2007 edition
  16. 1 2 3 CTV News: Chile officials blame T.O. police for soccer brawl; 20 July 2007
  17. 1 2 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. Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. 1 2 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. 1 2 "Chile football players face FIFA probe after brawl", Reuters. Retrieved 21 July 2007. Archived 14 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  25. "Toronto melee a global dust-up", thestar.com. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  26. 1 2 Babage, Maria, T.O. cops under scrutiny, Slam.ca, 20 July 2007 Archived 18 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  27. 1 2 3 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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