Hawit to handle CONCACAF´s referee review

CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit said he will oversee their referee department review, after the backlash during the Gold Cup.

Costa Rica and Panama joined forces to challenge CONCACAF to take action after Mexico were awarded dubious, timely penalties in their respective knockout matches against the two Central American nations – before going on to win the final against Jamaica.

“The foundation of our game is fair play, and we must take the required steps to reinforce the importance of this principle,” Hawit said in a statement. 

“This review will allow the confederation to take the next step towards improving refereeing across the region.”

FEPAFUT, Panama’s football federation, and FEDEFUTBOL – Costa Rica’s FA – petitioned CONCACAF regarding the possibility of the referees being corrupted at the tournament hosted by United States and Canada.

The two nations’ football bodies did stress they were not accusing of Mexico’s federation FEMEXFUT of any potential involvement.