Moments of anguish were experienced in the match between Peru and Canada from the Copa Américathis Tuesday in group A of the competition, when a referee assistant collapsed on the field.
Referee assistant fainted in the Copa América
At minute 47 of the first half the game was stopped when the linesman Humberto Panjoj, from Guatemala, fainted, which caused great alarm. Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau ran to assist him while medical services arrived.
There were moments of panic among the players and attendees at the Sporting Park stadium, located in Kansas City.
Apparently the assistant was the victim of a heatstroke, given the strong temperatures recorded around this time in the United States. According to the Weather Channel, it was about 32 degrees Celsius during the game.
The TV cameras avoided showing what was happening with the judge, per Fifa protocol. However, the scared faces of some players were seen.
The referee assistant was removed on a stretcher, while receiving applause from those attending the stadium. He was replaced by Ricardo Barén.
The match finally continued and the first half ended with a goalless draw.
Heat wave in the Copa América
The national teams of Peru and Canada play a Copa América match in Kansas City (USA) in conditions of extreme heat, with a thermal sensation close to 40 degrees in an open stadium.
The game began at 5 pm, the time of maximum heat, with a temperature that could reach 36 degrees, but with an even higher thermal sensation, around 40, according to the predictions of the United States National Weather Service.
Players will feel the heat directly as Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, home of MLS’s Sporting Kansas City, is unroofed and unheated.
The coaches of the two teams referred in a press conference to the conditions that their teams will face this afternoon, both with a playing style very based on physicality. “We do not have the solution: we cannot put an awning (on the stadium) nor can we put a fan on our players’ heads. What we can do is, from inside our heads, prepare ourselves to overcome the difficulties,” said Jorge. Fossati, coach of Peru.
PABLO ROMERO
SPORTS
With EFE
