FIFA U-17 World Cup: Mexican fan mistaken for serial match-fixer

Two years ago Panama Football Federation president Pedro Chaluja had alleged that the senior side’s 2-1 loss to Mexico was fixed.

In what was a slightly embarrassing case of mistaken identity, a Mexican fan was stopped at the gates of the Fatorda Stadium because he allegedly resembled one of Mexico’s most notorious bookies. It’s learnt that security personnel at all gates had been alerted that Francisco — who’s believed to be a convicted match-fixer – had entered Goa and might end up at Fatorda. They had also been provided with his file photo just in case he did show up. Unfortunately though, it happened to be just someone who looked like Francisco and officials clarified that the fan was only asked to wait for a while before being allowed to enter the ground. Francisco was found to have never left Mexico. The evening didn’t end too well either for the fan as he had to endure his team’s 2-1 defeat to Iran.

Two years ago Panama Football Federation president Pedro Chaluja had alleged that the senior side’s 2-1 loss to Mexico was fixed. Chaluja has asked FIFA and CONCACAF to conduct an investigation into the Gold Cup match. Chaluja had alleged that outside elements had been successful in influencing the game.