| FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 | |
|---|---|
|
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup official logo |
|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Canada |
| Dates | June 30 – July 22 |
| 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 | Sergio Agüero |
|
← 2005
2009 →
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The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated 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 6 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 & 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[1] where the final match was held.
On June 28, 2007, two days before the inaugural match, it was reported that 950,000 tickets had been sold,[2] making it the largest single-sport event ever taking place in the country,[3] and on July 3, the tournament organisers sold the one millionth ticket.[4] On July 19, the semifinal 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.[5] Final attendance totalled 1,195,299.
Contents |
| Victoria | Burnaby | Edmonton | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Athletic Park | Swangard Stadium | Commonwealth Stadium | |
| Capacity: 14,500 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 60,081 | |
| Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal | |
| National Soccer Stadium | Frank Clair Stadium | Olympic Stadium | |
| Capacity: 20,195 | Capacity: 26,559 | Capacity: 66,308 | |
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 draw for the group stages took place on March 3, 2007 in Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Toronto.
For a list of the squads see 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup squads
The 24 participating teams were distributed between six groups of four teams each, according to a draw held on March 3, 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).
| Key to colours in group tables | |
|---|---|
| Group winners, runners-up, and best four third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16 | |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 7 |
| Austria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 |
| Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| July 1, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Canada | 0 – 3 | Chile | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 20,195 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Medina 25' Carmona 54' Grondona 81' |
| July 2, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Congo | 1 – 1 | Austria | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 19,899 Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (Suriname) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibara 59' (pen.) | Report | Hoffer 7' |
| July 5, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Austria | 1 – 0 | Canada | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 31,579 Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okotie 47' | Report |
| July 5, 2007 20:30 MDT 02:30 UTC |
Chile | 3 – 0 | Congo | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 30,352 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sánchez 49' Medina 75' Vidal 82' |
Report |
| July 8, 2007 18:00 MDT 00:00 UTC |
Canada | 0 – 2 | Congo | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 32,058 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Ngakosso 26' Ikouma 60' |
| July 8, 2007 20:00 EDT 00:00 UTC |
Chile | 0 – 0 | Austria | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 |
| Zambia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| Jordan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 |
| July 1, 2007 14:15 PDT 21:15 UTC |
Jordan | 1 – 1 | Zambia | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Terry Vaughn (United States) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Deeb 41' | Report | Tembo 8' (pen.) |
| July 1, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Spain | 2 – 2 | Uruguay | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrián López 71' Capel 90+3' |
Report | Cavani 47' Suárez 56' |
| July 4, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Uruguay | 1 – 0 | Jordan | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavani 40' | Report |
| July 4, 2007 19:45 PDT 02:45 UTC |
Zambia | 1 – 2 | Spain | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Njobvu 74' | Report | Mario Suárez 30' (pen.) Mata 40' |
| July 7, 2007 14:15 PDT 21:15 UTC |
Spain | 4 – 2 | Jordan | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrián López 29', 32', 38' Marquitos 79' |
Report | Omran 48' Abdullah Deeb 56' |
| July 7, 2007 14:15 PDT 21:15 UTC |
Uruguay | 0 – 2 | Zambia | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Mulenga 22' (pen.) Kola 51' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 |
| Gambia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6 |
| Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
| July 2, 2007 14:15 EDT 18:15 UTC |
Portugal | 2 – 0 | New Zealand | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gama 45', 61' (pen.) | Report |
| July 2, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
Gambia | 0 – 3 | Mexico | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | dos Santos 57' Moreno 67' J. Hernández 89' |
| July 5, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
New Zealand | 0 – 1 | Gambia | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 11,869 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Jallow 22' |
| July 5, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Mexico | 2 – 1 | Portugal | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dos Santos 48' (pen.) Barrera 66' |
Report | Antunes 89' |
| July 8, 2007 17:15 EDT 21:15 UTC |
Portugal | 1 – 2 | Gambia | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 28,402 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condesso 20' | Report | Jallow 44' (pen.) Mansally 68' |
| July 8, 2007 15:15 MDT 21:15 UTC |
New Zealand | 1 – 2 | Mexico | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 29,792 Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelter 89' | Report | Bermúdez 24' Mares 78' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 4 |
| Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| South Korea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 |
| June 30, 2007 14:15 EDT 18:15 UTC |
Poland | 1 – 0 | Brazil | Olympic Stadium, Montréal Attendance: 55,800 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krychowiak 23' | Report |
| June 30, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
South Korea | 1 – 1 | United States | Olympic Stadium, Montréal Attendance: 55,800 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shin Young-Rok 38' | Report | Szetela 17' |
| July 3, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
United States | 6 – 1 | Poland | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 35,801 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Szetela 9' 51' Adu 20', 45+3', 85' Altidore 70' |
Report | Janczyk 5' |
| July 3, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Brazil | 3 – 2 | South Korea | Olympic Stadium, Montréal Attendance: 35,801 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaral 35' Pato 48', 59' |
Report | Shim Young-Sung 83' Shin Young-Rok 89' |
| July 6, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Brazil | 1 – 2 | United States | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 26,559 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima 64' | Report | Altidore 25', 81' |
| July 6, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Poland | 1 – 1 | South Korea | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 34,912 Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde (Suriname) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janczyk 45' | Report | Lee Sang-Ho 71' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 7 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
| North Korea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
| Panama | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | –7 | 1 |
| June 30, 2007 16:30 EDT 20:30 UTC |
North Korea | 0 – 0 | Panama | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 26,559 Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| June 30, 2007 19:15 EDT 23:15 UTC |
Argentina | 0 – 0 | Czech Republic | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 26,559 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| July 3, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
Czech Republic | 2 – 2 | North Korea | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 22,200 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalouda 56' Fenin 66' |
Report | Kim Kum-Il 12' Kwang Ik-Jon 89' (pen.) |
| July 3, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Panama | 0 – 6 | Argentina | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 23,500 Referee: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Moralez 20', 27' Zárate 23' Agüero 25', 62' di María 76' |
| July 6, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
Czech Republic | 2 – 1 | Panama | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 34,912 Referee: Steven Depiero (Canada) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalouda 79' Střeštík 82' |
Report | Barahona 84' |
| July 6, 2007 17:00 EDT 21:00 UTC |
Argentina | 1 – 0 | North Korea | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 26,559 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agüero 35' | Report |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 7 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
| July 1, 2007 14:15 PDT 21:15 UTC |
Japan | 3 – 1 | Scotland | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morishima 43' Umesaki 57' Aoyama 79' |
Report | Campbell 82' |
| July 1, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Nigeria | 1 – 0 | Costa Rica | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideye 75' | Report |
| July 4, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Costa Rica | 0 – 1 | Japan | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 10,500 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Tanaka 68' |
| July 4, 2007 19:45 PDT 02:45 UTC |
Scotland | 0 – 2 | Nigeria | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 10,500 Referee: Terry Vaughn (United States) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Bala 49', 78' |
| July 7, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Japan | 0 – 0 | Nigeria | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Germán Arredondo (Mexico) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| July 7, 2007 17:00 PDT 00:00 UTC |
Scotland | 1 – 2 | Costa Rica | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds 18' | Report | Herrera 57' McDonald 90+2' |
| Group | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| B | Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| C | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| D | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| F | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| E | North Korea | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 11 July - Edmonton | ||||||||||||||
| Austria | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 14 July - Toronto | ||||||||||||||
| Gambia | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Austria | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 11 July - Toronto | ||||||||||||||
| United States | 1 | |||||||||||||
| United States | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 18 July - Edmonton | ||||||||||||||
| Uruguay | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Austria | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 11 July - Burnaby | ||||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Spain | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 14 July - Edmonton | ||||||||||||||
| Brazil | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Spain | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 11 July - Victoria | ||||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Japan | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 22 July - Toronto | ||||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 12 July - Edmonton | ||||||||||||||
| Argentina | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Chile | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 15 July - Montreal | ||||||||||||||
| Portugal | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Chile | 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 | |||||||||||||
| July 11, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Austria | 2 – 1 | Gambia | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 18,721 Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prödl 45+1' Hoffer 81' |
Report | Gómez 69' |
| July 11, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
United States | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Uruguay | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardaccio 87' (o.g.) Bradley 107' |
Report | Suárez 73' |
| July 11, 2007 20:15 PDT 03:15 UTC |
Spain | 4 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Brazil | Swangard Stadium, Burnaby Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piqué 43' Javi García 84' Bueno 102' Adrián López 120+1' |
Report | Lima 39' Pato 41' |
| July 11, 2007 20:15 PDT 03:15 UTC |
Japan | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) | Czech Republic | Royal Athletic Park, Victoria Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Hernando Buitrago (Colombia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| July 12, 2007 16:45 EDT 20:45 UTC |
Zambia | 1 – 2 | Nigeria | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 22,531 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kola 33' | Report | Echiéjilé 3' Akabueze 57' |
| July 12, 2007 16:45 EDT 20:45 UTC |
Argentina | 3 – 1 | Poland | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| di María 40' Agüero 46', 86' |
Report | Janczyk 33' |
| July 12, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Mexico | 3 – 0 | Congo | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 40,204 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dos Santos 23' (pen.) Esparza 85' Barrera 90+4' |
Report |
| July 12, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Chile | 1 – 0 | Portugal | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 24,687 Referee: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vidal 45' | Report |
| July 14, 2007 14:15 EDT 18:15 UTC |
Austria | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | United States | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okotie 43' Hoffer 105' |
Report | Altidore 15' |
| July 14, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Spain | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Czech Republic | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 26,801 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mata 110' | Report | Kalouda 103' | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| Mata Adrián Valiente Javi García Piqué |
3 – 4 | Fenin Suchý Kúdela Pekhart |
| July 15, 2007 14:15 EDT 18:15 UTC |
Chile | 4 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Nigeria | Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 46,252 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grondona 96' Isla 114' (pen.), 117' Vidangossy 120+2' |
Report |
| July 15, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Argentina | 1 – 0 | Mexico | Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa Attendance: 26,559 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moralez 45' | Report |
| July 18, 2007 17:45 MDT 23:45 UTC |
Austria | 0 – 2 | Czech Republic | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton Attendance: 28,401 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Mičola 4' Fenin 15' |
| July 19, 2007 19:45 EDT 23:45 UTC |
Chile | 0 – 3 | Argentina | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | di María 12' Yacob 65' Moralez 90+3' |
| July 22, 2007 12:15 EDT 16:15 UTC |
Austria | 0 – 1 | Chile | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Martínez 45+1' |
| July 22, 2007 15:15 EDT 19:15 UTC |
Czech Republic | 1 – 2 | Argentina | National Soccer Stadium, Toronto Attendance: 19,526 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenin 60' | Report | Agüero 62' Zárate 86' |
|
| 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup Winners |
|---|
Argentina Sixth title |
| 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place |
|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Chile | Austria |
| 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 |
| 6 goals | 5 goals | 4 goals |
| FIFA Fair Play Award | ||
| Japan | ||
The Chile-Nigeria quarter-final match took place on FIFA's "Say No To Racism Day". During extra time, Chile's Mauricio Isla scored at the 96th minute. The Nigerians argued that it was offside, though referee Howard Webb allowed the goal to stand. Replays showed that a defender was caught out of place on an offside trap. Keeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was shown the yellow card for his protest.[6][7]
At a post-game news conference, Nigerian coach Ladan Bosso said "What happened on the pitch, the officiating, I think FIFA has a long way to go to beat racism, because that official showed racism." When asked if he felt Webb was a racist, Bosso said only that "It's good for FIFA to bring in the fight against racism, but they have to follow it to the letter, so the implementation will be done."[7] 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.[8]
The Nigerian FA was also sanctioned for allowing the players to wear T-shirts with religious statements under their game jerseys. This was a clear violation of the regulations of the tournament that 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 ..."[6]
On July 19, 2007, there was a very controversial semifinal match between Chile and Argentina. Referee Wolfgang Stark was criticized by the Chilean players for his officiating, having "lost control of the match early" [9] and for issuing seven yellow cards (out of nine) and two red cards against the Chilean team during the match.[10] In total he issued 53 fouls, 30 of which he charged to Chile.[11] and 23 to Argentina.
Chilean striker Nicolás Medina hinted that he felt that the referee was favoring the Argentine team, stating that "Eleven against eleven, the game would have been much more fair.".[12] Added to this is the perception that the Argentine players were able to employ "diving" tactics and "theatrics" [12] to influence the referee's calls.
Following the match, Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by livid Chilean players who were restrained by members of the Toronto Police. Stark then had to be escorted off of the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by police officers for fear that he would be attacked by the crowd and/or Chilean players at the National Soccer Stadium.[13]
Afterwards, several players and delegates of the Chilean team were involved in a brawl with police outside Toronto's National Soccer Stadium,[14] which ended with several Chileans injured, then handcuffed and detained inside the stadium. How the events unfolded is not unanimous, with two currently existing versions.
According to the Chilean players and some witnesses, at 10:22 p.m. (local time) Chilean player Isaías Peralta — before getting on the team bus — walked towards a crowd of Chilean fans stationed behind a security fence some 50 metres away from the bus, but was stopped by about ten policemen some 30 metres away from the fence. A heated discussion took place, where Peralta (who speaks no English) was verbally and physically abused by the policemen. Peralta was tasered by one police officer and he lost consciousness for 20 minutes. Chilean player Arturo Vidal arrived at the scene to help his team mate and got involved in a struggle with the police. Other eyewitnesses stated it was Chilean goalkeeper Cristopher Toselli who walked towards the fans when he was grabbed by a security guard, prompting the melee.[15] This was noticed by the other players inside the bus, who also got involved in the struggle with the police. All players — except Peralta, who lay unconscious on the ground — got back on the bus and closed the doors to keep the police out. A policewoman noticed this and threw a tear gas canister (or something to that effect) inside the bus. The players panicked and started breaking windows to let air in. Three minutes later the president of the Chilean National Association of Professional Football (ANFP), Harold Mayne-Nicholls, asked the players to descend from the bus to take a different one. As the players were getting off the bus they were violently detained by police; some players were even handcuffed. Alexis Sánchez — who was coming out of the antidoping test — heard some people screaming and arrived at the scene, but was also beaten by police. The police then took the players back to the stadium. Christian Suárez – arriving from the mixed zone – was also detained.[16] Peralta claimed that after he regained consciousness: "I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face;"[17] and also claimed the police removed an object the size of a match from his back so the press wouldn't be able to see it.[18] Other Chilean players said to the Chilean press that the Canadian police treated them like criminals, used pepper spray and Tasers on them, threatened them with legal action, and that while they were on the team's dressing room showing each other's wounds, they were laughed at.[16][18] During the Sunday final Mayne-Nicholls – who is also a FIFA official – allegedly identified the policeman who gave the order to use gas on the players and asked him why he had acted that way; Mayne-Nicholls claimed the policeman responded: "We use gas and electricity when we deal with criminals like yours."[19]
The police version of the events, as given by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, claimed that the melee began when Chilean players got into a scuffle with a rival fan.[20] 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."[20] According to eyewitness accounts, the players on the bus began throwing things at police through the windows and tried to grab officers from inside the damaged bus.[21] FIFA spokesman John Schumacher said: "The Chilean players were detained by the police to de-escalate the situation that was taking place in front of the stadium."[17]
Eyewitness accounts stated that the altercation began as the Chilean players were heading to their bus, across the driveway from the doors of the stadium. There was apparently yelling near the bus, and then a scuffle erupted. Nathan Denette, a reported for Canadian Press stated: "Next thing you know, the bus just unloads and there's eight, 10 players come off the bus and there's just fists flying everywhere, between the cops, the security guards, a couple of ladies were involved that were security." As the conflict became more heated, a police officer did use a Taser – though it was unclear if it was used on a player or an official with the Chilean team – after which the brawl became even more intense.[17] It was also asserted that any bruises sustained by anyone involved were "tiny."[22]
The Chilean press alleged that all press were removed from the area by security personnel since the incident's start, threatened with the removal of their tapes if they recorded anything and locked inside a room for several minutes.[23]
Ten Chilean team members were detained over three hours and then released without charges.[24] FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the next day at a press conference in Toronto that the incident was "regrettable" and that he "apologized in the name of FIFA."[25] The ANFP (Chilean Professional Football Association) hired a Toronto law firm to pursue legal action against the Toronto police.[16]
In Chile the incident was on the front page of every major newspaper. The Canadian embassy in Santiago received a bomb threat and angry Chileans protested outside the embassy with signs reading "Racist Canada."[26] Chile's President, Michelle Bachelet, said that the incident was "especially serious because, in our opinion, the Chilean delegation suffered unjustified aggression,"[25] and lodged a formal protest with the Canadian government.[27] 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."[27]
It was reported in the Canadian media on July 30, 2007, that Isaias Peralta had confessed to Santiago's El Mercurio that one of the Chilean team members had punched a female police office in the face before Peralta had been tasered, but maintained that the Toronto police had assaulted the Chilean team members before they retaliated; the following day Peralta denied making the comments.[28] Police spokesperson Mark Pugash affirmed a female officer had been hit in the face, and stated the Chilean's violent behaviour prompted police to use Tasers and pepper spray, upholding the story that the Chileans had started the mêlée by confronting an Argentine fan.[29] After an internal review headed by Superintendent Jim Ramer – in which witnesses, including event security officials, members of the Ontario Soccer Association, the BMO Field event coordinator, and the driver of the Chilean bus, offered statements – a report issued by the Toronto Police Service on July 31, 2007, found that officers had acted professionally and with "with an immense amount of restraint" during the conflict outside the BMO Field, in which Chilean players "punched, kicked, spat on and kicked" police and security staff. The report stated that the violence started when two people not involved in the game confronted each other. Security guards first attempted to intervene, and then police, which is when a Chilean player punched a female police officer in the face. From that point, the report said the violence escalated; Chilean players dismantled the armrests and footrests from the bus seats, and smashed the windows in order to spit at and throw these objects, plus D-cell batteries, clothes hangers, and cans of deodorant at the police. Four officers were reportedly injured by projectiles. FIFA agreed to pay for the $35,000 in damages to the team's rented bus.[28]
Harold Mayne-Nicholls, chair of the Football Federation of Chile and a witness to the event said: "I didn't see any Chilean player hitting any officer except between all the struggling." Patricio Bascunan, president of the Salvador Allende Cultural Society of Toronto, said an independent review was needed.[28]
Chile's Jaime Grondona was suspended for nine months at all levels (domestic and international) and fined CHF 7,000 (including procedural costs) for assaulting match officials. The Chilean football association was fined CHF 15,000 for "team misconduct".[8]
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