A foul-happy Copa America tournament continued on Tuesday as a Peruvian player controversially did not see a red card after headbutting Canada’s Alistair Johnston
Marcos Lopez did not see red despite his headbutt(Getty Images)
A notably chippy overture to the Copa America came to a head in Tuesday’s Group A matchup between Peru and Canada.
Alistair Johnston fell to his knees during the 38th minute in Kansas City after an argument with Marcos Lopez away from the ball, and a video replay determined that the Peruvian delivered a headbutt to the Canadian defender. Video assistant referee (VAR) opted to review the incident but declined to issue a red card, prompting outrage on the internet.
“Sorry, WHAT?” A prominent Canadian supporter’s account lamented on X. “Peru’s Marcos Lopez drops a blatant headbutt on Alistair Johnston. VAR looks at it and doesn’t do anything about it. Embarrassing decision.”
Another commenter wrote: “If Alistar Johnston hits the ground like a ton of bricks, Lopez is sent off. But because he takes it like a man no one bats an eye. The game is gone.”
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Yet not all fans thought Lopez deserved a red card, with one fan writing on X: “That amount of force wouldn’t crush an ant.” Another added: “That’s an easy yellow.”
90 minutes of physical play continued, with the two teams combining for 31 fouls at a nearly even split, and a reckless challenge from Peru’s Miguel Araujo changed the tenor of the contest after another VAR review. Araujo initially won the ball near midfield, but his sliding followthrough made contact with substitute Jacob Shaffelburg high on the leg.
The referee initially dipped into his pocket for a yellow card, but after further consultation, he elected to award a red card for violent conduct in the 59th minute. Peru fans took their outrage online this time, believing that a similar collision in Copa America’s subsequent game involving Argentinian midfielder Rodrigo De Paul should have merited a similar penalty.
Miguel Araujo received red after a reckless challenge(Getty Images)
With a man advantage, Canada went on to dominate the match, and a tidy finish in transition from striker Jonothan David gave the North Americans a decisive 1-0 lead with a quarter-hour remaining. Tuesday’s victory was American coach Jesse Marsch’s first since taking over the reins this summer and gives Canada a fighting chance at stunning survival through the group stages.
An alarming incident captured the headlines before Araujo’s red card or David’s goal, however, as assistant referee Humberto Panjoj fainted during first-half stoppage time and spent several minutes on the turf before being helped onto a stretcher. The Children’s Mercy Park public address announcer revealed during the intermission that Panjoj was receiving medical treatment. No official statement has been issued at this time.
The extreme heat in Kansas City was noted as a potential factor in Panjoj’s collapse. The official temperature during the incident was listed at 91 degrees, but a humidity percentage over 50 led to a perceived temperature of over 100 degrees. Another participant was impacted earlier by the nationwide heat wave as Ronald Araujo was substituted out of Urugay’s victory over Panama Sunday after becoming severely dehydrated.
“The truth is I’m still a bit dizzy now,” Araujo said after playing just 45 minutes of the match. “My (blood) pressure went down. When the first half finished I was a bit dizzy and when I reached the dressing room my pressure went down. The doctor said it was a bit of dehydration and I couldn’t continue for the second half.”
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Publish date : 2024-06-26 00:34:00
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