FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 Coupe du Monde de Football des Moins de 20 ans 2007 | |
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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) | Sergio Agüero (6 goals) |
Best player(s) | Sergio Agüero |
Fair play award | Japan |
← 2005 2009 → |
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the 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 where the final match was held. 19 years later Canada will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On 28 June 2007, two days before the inaugural match, it was reported that 950,000 tickets had been sold, making it the largest single-sport event ever taking place in the country, and on 3 July, the tournament organizers sold the millionth ticket. On 19 July, the semi-final 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. Attendance totalled 1,195,299 after the final match.
Bids
Three countries launched bids to host the competition: Canada, Japan and South Korea. On August 6, 2004 the FIFA Emergency Committee unanimously awarded the rights to host the event to Canada over South Korea (Japan did not submit an official bid).
Venues
Qualification
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 final draw for the group stages took place on 3 March 2007 in Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Toronto.
- 1. Teams that made their debut.
Match officials
Squads
For a list of the squads see 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup squads
Group stage
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).
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chile | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Austria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | |
3 | Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
4 | Canada (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
(H) Hosts
Canada | 0–3 | Chile |
---|---|---|
Report | Medina 25' Carmona 54' Grondona 81' |
Congo | 1–1 | Austria |
---|---|---|
Ibara 59' (pen.) | Report | Hoffer 7' |
Austria | 1–0 | Canada |
---|---|---|
Okotie 47' | Report |
Chile | 3–0 | Congo |
---|---|---|
Sánchez 49' Medina 75' Vidal 82' |
Report |
Canada | 0–2 | Congo |
---|---|---|
Report | Ngakosso 26' Ikouma 60' |
Chile | 0–0 | Austria |
---|---|---|
Report |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Zambia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | |
3 | Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
4 | Jordan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 |
Jordan | 1–1 | Zambia |
---|---|---|
Deeb 41' | Report | Tembo 8' (pen.) |
Spain | 2–2 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Adrián L. 71' Capel 90+3' |
Report | Cavani 47' L. Suárez 56' |
Uruguay | 1–0 | Jordan |
---|---|---|
Cavani 40' | Report |
Zambia | 1–2 | Spain |
---|---|---|
Njobvu 74' | Report | M. Suárez 30' (pen.) Mata 40' |
Spain | 4–2 | Jordan |
---|---|---|
Adrián L. 29', 32', 38' Marquitos 79' |
Report | Omran 48' Deeb 56' |
Uruguay | 0–2 | Zambia |
---|---|---|
Report | Mulenga 22' (pen.) Kola 51' |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Gambia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6 | |
3 | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
4 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Portugal | 2–0 | New Zealand |
---|---|---|
Gama 45', 61' (pen.) | Report |
Gambia | 0–3 | Mexico |
---|---|---|
Report | Dos Santos 57' Moreno 67' J. Hernández 89' |
New Zealand | 0–1 | Gambia |
---|---|---|
Report | Jallow 22' |
Mexico | 2–1 | Portugal |
---|---|---|
Dos Santos 48' (pen.) Barrera 66' |
Report | Antunes 89' |
Portugal | 1–2 | Gambia |
---|---|---|
Condesso 20' | Report | Jallow 44' (pen.) Mansally 68' |
New Zealand | 1–2 | Mexico |
---|---|---|
Pelter 89' | Report | Bermúdez 24' Mares 78' |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4 | |
3 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
4 | South Korea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 |
Poland | 1–0 | Brazil |
---|---|---|
Krychowiak 23' | Report |
South Korea | 1–1 | United States |
---|---|---|
Shin Young-rok 38' | Report | Szetela 17' |
United States | 6–1 | Poland |
---|---|---|
Szetela 9', 51' Adu 20', 45+3', 85' Altidore 70' |
Report | Janczyk 5' |
Brazil | 3–2 | South Korea |
---|---|---|
Amaral 35' Pato 48', 59' |
Report | Shim Young-sung 83' Shin Young-rok 89' |
Brazil | 1–2 | United States |
---|---|---|
Lima 64' | Report | Altidore 25', 81' |
Poland | 1–1 | South Korea |
---|---|---|
Janczyk 45' | Report | Lee Sang-ho 71' |
Group E
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Argentina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | |
3 | North Korea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
4 | Panama | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 1 |
North Korea | 0–0 | Panama |
---|---|---|
Report |
Argentina | 0–0 | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
Report |
Czech Republic | 2–2 | North Korea |
---|---|---|
Kalouda 56' Fenin 66' |
Report | Kim Kum-il 12' Jon Kwang-ik 89' (pen.) |
Panama | 0–6 | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Report | Moralez 20', 27' Zárate 23' Agüero 25', 62' Di María 76' |
Czech Republic | 2–1 | Panama |
---|---|---|
Kalouda 79' Střeštík 82' |
Report | Barahona 84' |
Argentina | 1–0 | North Korea |
---|---|---|
Agüero 35' | Report |
Group F
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Group stage result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 7 | |
3 | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
4 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Japan | 3–1 | Scotland |
---|---|---|
Morishima 43' Umesaki 57' Aoyama 79' |
Report | Campbell 82' |
Nigeria | 1–0 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Ideye 75' | Report |
Costa Rica | 0–1 | Japan |
---|---|---|
Report | Tanaka 68' |
Scotland | 0–2 | Nigeria |
---|---|---|
Report | Bala 49', 78' |
Japan | 0–0 | Nigeria |
---|---|---|
Report |
Scotland | 1–2 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Reynolds 18' | Report | Herrera 57' McDonald 90+2' |
Ranking of third-placed teams
Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A | Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | B | Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
3 | C | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
4 | D | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
5 | F | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
6 | 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 – 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
Austria | 2–1 | Gambia |
---|---|---|
Prödl 45+1' Hoffer 81' |
Report | P. Gomez 69' |
United States | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Cardaccio 87' (o.g.) Bradley 107' |
Report | L. Suárez 73' |
Spain | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | Brazil |
---|---|---|
Piqué 43' J. García 84' Bueno 102' Adrián L. 120+1' |
Report | Lima 39' Pato 41' |
Japan | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
Makino 22' Morishima 47' (pen.) |
Report | Kúdela 74' (pen.) Mareš 77' (pen.) |
Penalties | ||
Yasuda Aoki Makino Morishima Kashiwagi |
3–4 | Fenin Kúdela Suchý Pekhart Okleštěk |
Zambia | 1–2 | Nigeria |
---|---|---|
Kola 33' | Report | Elderson 3' Akabueze 57' |
Argentina | 3–1 | Poland |
---|---|---|
Di María 40' Agüero 46', 86' |
Report | Janczyk 33' |
Chile | 1–0 | Portugal |
---|---|---|
Vidal 45' | Report |
Mexico | 3–0 | Congo |
---|---|---|
Dos Santos 23' (pen.) Esparza 85' Barrera 90+4' |
Report |
Quarter-finals
Austria | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | United States |
---|---|---|
Okotie 43' Hoffer 105' |
Report | Altidore 15' |
Spain | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
Mata 110' | Report | Kalouda 103' |
Penalties | ||
Mata Adrián G. Valiente J. García Piqué |
3–4 | Fenin Suchý Kúdela Pekhart |
Chile | 4–0 (a.e.t.) | Nigeria |
---|---|---|
Grondona 96' Isla 114' (pen.), 117' Vidangossy 120+2' |
Report |
Argentina | 1–0 | Mexico |
---|---|---|
Moralez 45' | Report |
Semi-finals
Austria | 0–2 | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
Report | Mičola 4' Fenin 15' |
Chile | 0–3 | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Report | Di María 12' Yacob 65' Moralez 90+3' |
Match for third place
Austria | 0–1 | Chile |
---|---|---|
Report | Martínez 45+1' |
Final
Czech Republic | 1–2 | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Fenin 60' | Report | Agüero 62' Zárate 86' |
Team details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Goalscorers
With six goals, Sergio Agüero was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 135 goals were scored by 84 different players, with one of them credited as own goals.
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- Ángel Di María
- Erwin Hoffer
- Alexandre Pato
- Martin Fenin
- Luboš Kalouda
- Giovani dos Santos
- Dawid Janczyk
- Freddy Adu
- Danny Szetela
- 2 goals
- Mauro Zárate
- Rubin Okotie
- Leandro Lima
- Jaime Grondona
- Mauricio Isla
- Nicolás Medina
- Arturo Vidal
- Ousman Jallow
- Yasuhito Morishima
- Abdallah Deeb
- Pablo Barrera
- Ezekiel Bala
- Bruno Gama
- Shin Young-rok
- Juan Mata
- Edinson Cavani
- Luis Suárez
- Rodgers Kola
- 1 goal
- Claudio Yacob
- Sebastian Prödl
- Amaral
- Carlos Carmona
- Hans Martínez
- Alexis Sánchez
- Mathías Vidangossy
- Franchel Ibara
- Gracia Ikouma
- Ermejea Ngakosso
- Pablo Herrera
- Jonathan McDonald
- Ondřej Kúdela
- Jakub Mareš
- Tomáš Mičola
- Marek Střeštík
- Pierre Gomez
- Abdoulie Mansally
- Jun Aoyama
- Tomoaki Makino
- Atomu Tanaka
- Tsukasa Umesaki
- Lo'ay Omran
- Christian Bermúdez
- Omar Esparza
- Javier Hernández
- Héctor Moreno
- Osmar Mares
- Jack Pelter
- Chukwuma Akabueze
- Elderson Echiéjilé
- Brown Ideye
- Kim Kum-il
- Jon Kwang-ik
- Nelson Barahona
- Grzegorz Krychowiak
- Vitorino Antunes
- Feliciano Condesso
- Ross Campbell
- Mark Reynolds
- Lee Sang-ho
- Shim Young-sung
- Marquitos
- Alberto Bueno
- Diego Capel
- Javi García
- Gerard Piqué
- Mario Suárez
- Michael Bradley
- Clifford Mulenga
- William Njobvu
- Fwayo Tembo
- 1 own goal
- Mathías Cardaccio (against the United States)
Awards
Source:
Golden Ball | Silver Ball | Bronze Ball |
---|---|---|
Sergio Agüero | Maximiliano Moralez | Giovani dos Santos |
Golden Shoe | Silver Shoe | Bronze Shoe |
Sergio Agüero | Adrián López | Maximiliano Moralez |
FIFA Fair Play Award | ||
Japan |
Final ranking
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Argentina | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | +14 | 19 | Champions |
2 | Czech Republic | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 10 | Runners-up |
3 | Chile | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 16 | Third place |
4 | Austria | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | Fourth place |
5 | Mexico | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
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 | |
9 | Japan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 | Eliminated in Round of 16 |
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 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 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 | |
17 | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | Eliminated in Group stage |
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 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | |
23 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | |
24 | Canada (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
(H) Hosts
Controversies
Nigerian accusations of racism
The quarter-final match between Chile and Nigeria took place on FIFA's "Say No To Racism Day." During extra time, Chile's Jaime Grondona scored at the 96th minute, but Nigerians claimed that it was offside. Despite their protest, referee Howard Webb allowed the goal to stand, and the goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa received a yellow card for his protest. Replays showed that a defender was out of place, and it was not offside.
After the game, Nigerian coach Ladan Bosso accused Webb of racism in a press conference, stating that "the officiating, I think FIFA has a long way to go to beat racism because that official showed racism." When asked directly if he felt Webb was a racist, Bosso responded by stating that "It's good for FIFA to bring in the fight against racism, but they have to follow it to the letter so that the implementation will be done." 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 Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) 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..."
Chilean clash with police
On 19 July 2007, there was a clash between Chilean players and police officers following the semi-final match between Chile and Argentina. The Chilean players were angry with referee, Wolfgang Stark, claiming that he had "lost control of the match early on" and complained about receiving seven yellow cards and two red cards, with a total of 53 fouls committed. After the game, Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by Chilean players, and Toronto Police Service members had to intervene to restrain them. Stark was escorted off the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by the police, due to fears that he would be attacked by the crowd or Chilean players. Afterwards, there was a brawl between several players and delegates of the Chilean team and police outside Toronto's National Soccer Stadium.
According to Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, the altercation began when Chilean players got into a scuffle with a rival fan. 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." The Chilean players, however, stated that Isaías Peralta walked towards Chilean fans located behind a security fence, but was stopped by about ten policemen. They further stated that a heated discussion took place, and Peralta (who speaks no English) was verbally and physically abused by the policemen.
Peralta was tasered by a police officer and lost consciousness for 20 minutes. Subsequently, other players became involved in a struggle with the police, but eventually returned to their bus and closed the doors. Eyewitnesses reported that players on the bus threw objects at the police through the windows and attempted to grab officers from inside the damaged bus. Three minutes later, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the president of the Chilean National Association of Professional Football (ANFP), asked the players to exit the bus and board a different one. As the players were leaving the bus, the police then took them back to the stadium.
FIFA spokesman, John Schumacher, stated that "the Chilean players were detained by the police to de-escalate the situation that was taking place in front of the stadium. Ten Chilean team members were detained over three hours and then released without charges." The following day, FIFA president Sepp Blatter expressed at a press conference in Toronto that the incident was "regrettable" and that he "apologised in the name of FIFA." The ANFP hired a Toronto-based law firm to pursue legal action against the Toronto police.
The incident was on the front page of every major Chilean newspaper. Following the incident, the Canadian embassy in Santiago received a bomb threat, and angry Chileans protested outside the embassy holding signs that read "Racist Canada." Chilean President Michelle Bachelet described the incident as "particularly serious because, in our view, the Chilean delegation suffered unjustified aggression" and lodged a formal protest with the Canadian government. 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."
According to reports in Canadian media, a Chilean team member punched a female police officer in the face before Peralta was tasered. An internal review led by Superintendent Jim Ramer determined that officers 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 began when two individuals not involved in the game confronted each other. Security guards attempted to intervene, followed by police, when a Chilean player punched a female police officer in the face. From that point, the report stated that the violence escalated, with Chilean players dismantling armrests and footrests from the bus seats and smashing windows in order to spit and throw objects at police, including D batteries, clothes hangers, and cans of deodorant. Four officers were reportedly injured by projectiles. FIFA agreed to pay for the $35,000 cost of damages to the team's rented bus.
Mayne-Nicholls, who was a witness to the incident, stated that "I didn't see any Chilean player hitting any officer except between all the struggling." Patricio Bascuñán, the president of the Salvador Allende Cultural Society of Toronto, called for an independent review.
Grondona was suspended for nine months at all levels, including domestic and international play, 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
- "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.
- "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.
- "History made with Canada 2007 ticket sales". FIFA. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
- "Fast starts for Mexico, Portugal". FIFA.com. 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- "Canada sets U-20 World Cup attendance record". CBC Sports. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- "Canada a lock for 2007 FIFA world youth championship". www.cbc.ca/sports/. CBC Sports. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
Japan and South Korea are also bidding against Canada
- "FIFA World Youth Championship 2007 Awarded to Canada" (Press release). FIFA. SportCal. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- "FIFA U20 World Cup Canada 2007". FIFA. 2007.
- ^ "Don't blame the ref". CBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Nigerian coach levies racism charge against ref". CBC News. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- Woolsey, Garth (20 July 2007). "Beautiful game turns ugly". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- FIFA.com Archived 21 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- "Chileans fight with police after loss". CNN. Associated Press. 20 July 2007. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- Molinaro, John F. (19 July 2007). "Argentina advances to FIFA U-20 final". CBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ Chilean officials blame police for melee Archived 11 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, tsn.ca. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
- ^ Campbell, Morgan; Toronto Star: CSA seeking witnesses to Chile brawl; 24 July 2007 Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "Chile officials say Toronto police to blame for soccer team's post-match brawl Archived 12 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine" Canadian Press. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
- ^ La Tercera Archived 1 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine 21 July 2007 edition
- La Tercera Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine 22 July 2007 edition.
- ^ "Chile football players face FIFA probe after brawl ", Reuters. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
- "Toronto melee a global dust-up Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine", thestar.com. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
- ^ Babage, Maria, T.O. cops under scrutiny, Slam.ca, 20 July 2007
- ^ Powell, Betsy; Dale, Daniel; Toronto Star: Officers cleared in soccer scuffle; 31 July 2007 Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Dale, Daniel; Toronto Star: Chilean player admits officer was punched; 30 July 2007 Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 Archived 6 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, FIFA.com
- RSSSF > FIFA World Youth Championship > 2007
- FIFA Technical Report
International association football competitions hosted by Canada | |
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FIFA tournaments | |
CONCACAF tournaments | |
Other |
- 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
- FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments
- 2007 in Canadian soccer
- International association football competitions hosted by Canada
- Soccer in British Columbia
- Soccer in Ontario
- Soccer in Quebec
- June 2007 sports events in Canada
- July 2007 sports events in Canada
- 2007 in youth association football
- International sports competitions in Toronto