INTERIM head coach of the national men’s senior football team Angus Eve felt that T&T should have been awarded the Concacaf Gold Cup match against Mexico at the AT&T Stadium on Saturday after fans howled discriminatory comments.
The officials were forced to stop the contest three times during the match held in Dallas, Texas. The crowd, filled with Mexican fans, grew more hostile in the second half.
T&T pulled off an unlikely 0-0 draw.
Eve, asked if the match should have been stopped and T&T awarded the match because of homophobic chants, said, “I think after the first one maybe not, but it was three occasions…probably yes (it should have been stopped) because we need to stamp these kind of behaviours out of sport. I thought after the third time he had to stop the match I think that we should have gotten the game.”
Speaking more about the crowd’s actions, Eve said, “I think they were supporting their team, (but) probably they went a bit far.”
Eve, who said he would like to see T&T fans supporting with passion, believes it is possible that only a small percentage of supporters spoiled it for everyone.
“I don’t want to cast any aspersions on the crowd. They were here to support and it is not probably everybody who did it. Some people probably got a bit carried away.
“We wanted to take the crowd out of the game because this is like a home game for Mexico. We probably had five people in the stands…I don’t want to cast aspersions on everyone out there, but it is unfortunate when some people bring the game into disrepute.”
SOURCE: T&T Newsday