Maradona calls for Mexico-Panama replay

Diego Maradona posted his support for the Panama players, and his clear disdain for all things Mexican football, after Thursday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup controversy.

Mexico overcame Panama 2-1 after extra time, not before a shocking penalty call by American referee Mark Geiger that allowed Miguel Herrera’s side to equalise deep into second-half injury time in regulation.

Maradona, owner of the famous ‘Hand of God’ moment in the 1986 World Cup, called for the semi-final to be replayed and for Geiger to lose his job following the controversy.

“I express my solidarity with the players of ‪#‎Panama‬,” Maradona posted on Facebook.

“The match should be replayed and the referee should be fired.”

Maradona was clearly aggrieved by the decision favouring Mexico, as he added: “This sort of transparency hasn’t been seen since the Mexican referee [Edgardo] Codesal robbed all the Argentines in 1990 WC.”

West Germany won the 1990 World Cup final 1-0, with Andreas Brehme’s 85th-minute penalty – earned after Rudi Voller went down softly in the area – seeing them past Maradona’s Argentina.