Mexico was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 loss to Brazil on Monday, but their manager thinks there was more than meets the eye to the result.
Manager Juan Carlos Osorio blasted both Neymar and Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi, feeling that “fake fouls” were a factor in disrupting the game.
“We played quite well and had 53% possession so I think we did control the game mostly,” Osorio said, via Steve Bates of the Mirror. “Unfortunately it’s a shame we wasted so much time for one player. It’s a shame for football. The referee gave too many fake fouls. I am entitled to give my opinion but I didn’t mention him by name. There was very little contact and every single time the referee stops the game.
“We lost our style due to the referee giving too much stoppage time. My players got more and more tired because of that situation. Once, the game was stopped for four minutes and that’s very negative for the game of football and children around the world who are playing the game. It’s a man’s sport and there shouldn’t be so much acting. That had an impact on our pace.”
Neymar was widely criticized for his play-acting on Twitter, and the criticism was deserved. That said, linking it to the result may be a stretch. Brazil created more chances and played well enough to win with their superior talent, so while frustrating, Neymar’s theatrics don’t really hold water as an excuse.
