In what can only be described as an insult to our great game;
Two teams in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Frisco, Texas have been suspected of match fixing to ensure their survival in the tournament. Carlsbad Elite and Ambassadors FC entered the final group day of the U-18 girls division in first and second, respectively, in Group A, but with their safety in doubt.
A draw in their match on Thursday would mean both would advance, with Carlsbad Elite winning the group with seven points and Ambassadors FC claiming second place with five points. A result either way would leave one of the two teams with just four points, opening the door for Syracuse Development Academy to potentially jump up to second and advance on the tiebreak.
With that in mind, look at this video from Carlsbad Elite’s match against Ambassadors FC.
Ambassadors FC coach Caleb Fortune released a statement to Top Drawer Soccer, defending the play of the match, citing the heat of the day as a factor in the effort.
@willparchman youth soccer at its worst compliments of Carlsbad and Ohio Ambassadors U18 girls #earnyourplace pic.twitter.com/z7prqDvzud
— Livster (@TheLivster59) July 28, 2016
Essentially they’re just rolling the ball back and forth, not even pretending to compete. According Top Drawer Soccer, the two teams did this for the entirety of the match. With the ignoble 0-0 result in the books, both teams collected the point needed to advance to the semifinals.
This report comes from highly reliable news sources in the US and Europe, if correct it makes a mockery of the sport and match fixing of any kind has no place in our great sport. We condemn the action shown above in the strongest possible terms.
Grassroots
