HOUSTON – In many ways, it was a footnote on an otherwise fun night of football. But for Jamaica coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, the minutes just after 9pm here at NRG Stadium on Saturday were something more. His players left the dressing room at half-time during their Copa América debut. They returned to the field, ready for the second half after a standard 15-minute break – but their Mexican counterparts were nowhere to be found.
For several minutes, Jamaica’s players waited.
In those minutes, Mexican coach Jaime Lozano later admitted, he and his team were reviewing tactics, “actions” and “plays” from the first half that they might need to “correct.”
The long break led to the second egregious delay in three nights at the 2024 Copa América. On Thursday, Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Argentina “should be fined” for taking several extra minutes in the locker room. On Saturday, Hallgrímsson didn’t go that far, but said: “It’s just disrespectful.”
“The break is only 15 minutes,” he continued. “And if they can stay longer, then we should have at least the same chance of staying longer. It’s simply unfair and disrespectful.”
This, essentially, was Marsch’s argument as well. “When they were waiting, I knew they were watching video and analyzing how they wanted to play against us,” he said of Argentina.
Both games ended 0-0 at half-time. The two favorites who, unilaterally, prolonged the match in their dressing rooms, ended up winning – Argentina 2-0 over Canada and Mexico 1-0 over Jamaica.
They didn’t win solely because they had a few extra minutes to prepare, of course, but their delays raised a question: What can be done to prevent smart teams from getting lost in the locker room and perhaps gaining an advantage?
Expectations are clear. The half-time is 15 minutes, as is the case in any match sanctioned by FIFA. And article 104 of the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 Regulations states that “teams must strictly respect the schedule defined for the start of the game”. But what if they don’t?
On Saturday, referee Ismail Elfath – whom Hallgrímsson generally praised for his handling of the match – blew his whistle several times and vigorously and exasperatedly waved the Mexican players back onto the field as the Jamaican players huddled together and tried to stay loose.
At several moments, both the Elfath and Jamaican players pointed to their wrists and made the universal gesture of: You are late.
One of the most fun parts of the Mexico x Jamaica game so far
The referee was having none of it as he tried to get Mexico back on the field after the break. pic.twitter.com/d64NdB6Yz6
-Katlyn Stevens (@katlyn_stevens) June 23, 2024
But neither the Mexican players nor coaches were punished.
Punishment, in cases like these, usually comes retroactively. CONMEBOL rules establish that “any delay in starting or resuming the match due to the delay of one or more teams will be subject to the sanctions provided for in CONMEBOL Disciplinary Code and Chapter 16 of these regulations.”
In non-legalese: The case is referred to a disciplinary unit. They open an investigation. There is a court case. And a punishment – such as a fine or other – could be imposed.
A fine was what Marsch advocated. A fine, of course, can’t help him undo Thursday’s result. He also said: “I wish the referees could get that. … [Argentina] we had that time to prepare for how they wanted to play us in the second half, which – if we had known in advance that we could have 10 more minutes, we could have prepared a few more things.
But after the fact – and after Argentina scored four minutes into the second half – Marsch said: “If we were five minutes late, we would get a fine. There would be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina. I think they need to be fined.”
In Houston, Jamaica started the second half on the front foot, with Mexico hot on their heels. However, about 15 minutes into halftime, after Jamaica had a goal disallowed for offside in video review, Mexico recovered. Gerardo Arteaga’s goal in the 69th minute was decisive.
When asked about the delay at half-time and Hallgrímsson’s comments, Lozano, the Mexico coach, said: “I don’t know if it’s unfair. But we made four or five plays and it took me a long time. Yes, it’s my responsibility. Normally we have some actions, some plays on the screen to correct, or to see what we are doing right And then, I think I exaggerated a little.”
