CONCACAF says it will conduct review of referees

Panama players celebrate a goal by Roberto Nurse during the second half of the CONCACAF Gold Cup third place soccer match. (Michael Perez/AP)

MIAMI — CONCACAF’s referee department will be reviewed following controversial decisions in the Gold Cup.

"The foundation of our game is fair play, and we must take the required steps to reinforce the importance of this principle," CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit said on Thursday.

Panama and Costa Rica made requests to CONCACAF after each lost to Mexico in the Gold Cup knockout rounds with the help of a questionable penalty kick.

Panama players posed with a banner after their semifinal loss calling CONCACAF "corruptos ladrones" (corrupt thieves), and Panamanian federation president Pedro Chaluja said "we feel that that game was fixed."

The next day, Hawit announced American referee Mark Geiger admitted he made mistakes in the match.

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