CHESTER, Pa. — The disorderly Gold Cup regional soccer tournament grew even more chaotic on Friday as the head of Panama’s soccer federation said the country’s controversial semifinal defeat by Mexico had been fixed.
And Panama’s goalkeeper, Jaime Penedo, was suspended for pushing an assistant referee after that match, leaving him ineligible to face the United States in a third-place game here on Saturday.
Concacaf, soccer’s beleaguered governing body for the North American, Central American and Caribbean region, has faced withering criticism during its signature tournament for questionable refereeing decisions and for unruly fan behavior, particularly by Mexican fans who have hurled debris onto the field during matches.