BOLIVIAN CLUB UNIVERSITARIO have been branded “shameful” after an unpaid wages dispute saw them field youth players and forfeit their match with Wilstermann after going 7-0 down at half-time.
Universitario’s first-team players are on strike due to allegations of not being paid, meaning coach Oscar Sanz had to use youth players, with 15-year-old goalkeeper Santiago Arancibia among them.
Such was the gulf in class between Universitario’s youngsters and Bolivian Primera A leaders Wilstermann’s first team, the hosts were 7-0 up by the interval.
Only seven Universitario players returned for the second half, as four opted not to return after apparently picking up knocks in the first, with coach Sanz’s hands tied due to no substitutes being named for the match.
And just a few moments after the second half started, a fifth Universitario player claimed to be injured, forcing the visitors to forfeit the match as they had just six players.
Wilstermann coach Alvaro Pena slammed them after the game, saying it is “more scandalous” to give up at 7-0 down than to carry on and lose by an even more humiliating scoreline.
Pena said: “A finish like this is worse than losing 20-0. It is more scandalous to lose leaving as they did now, because this is more shameful.”
But Ricardo Pedriel, who scored a hat-trick, sympathised with Universitario’s situation.
“We came out to the pitch with the mentality that it was a normal game,” he told reporters. “It does not matter if they were youngsters or were the starters, the first team.
“We went out with the idea of making a good game. Unfortunately, what happened, which was they left, they retired, is not the boys’ fault.
“This happens only in Bolivia, and I hope everything will improve, for their club, and for football in Bolivia.”
It is not the first time Universitario have been involved in such an incident.
In 2015, a 3-0 win was awarded to Bolivar when a team of youth players was reduced to six due to an injury. Universitario had initially tried unsuccessfully to have the match postponed because of a conflict with Copa Libertadores commitments.
It is unclear whether the Bolivian Football Federation will punish Universitario for their actions.
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Connacht 23 – dragons 18. Shocking conditions. Heenan great. A big pond behind the posts. Dragons red card for swinging arm/punch/clothes line. Hard to describe really. Come on Score don’t forget about us!
Connacht 30. Speedboat came in handy for try.
disappointing perfomance but great result and badly needed to stop the recent slide 2 pts ahead of scarlets and into 6th place now with treviso at home next.
Sorry Jamsie but “There’ll be no repeat of 2014 narrow loss to England” warns Ireland!!! Have ye heard of the Schmidmeister across the sea??
Let them talk them selves up. They won’t do themselves any favours.
What a game it could be if our backline gets motoring…
What’s with all the crowing lads? All he said was they have moved on since 2011. So have we. Some Irish rugby fans appear to be developing a smugness which does them, this coach and this Team a disservice. Senior players and Schmidt know that they have yet to deliver a complete performance. England already have delivered away from home which makes me nervous.
the voice of reason speaks! this is not the arrogant england team of years gone by. lancaster has brought a humility and “work for each other culture” to the team. You can only respect them at this stage and that worries me for ireland’s chances. That being said their media is still the same old hype machine. We should not dismiss them for then we become no better than the england teams we all hated in the past. still think we’ll win though.
That chap has some opinion of himself!
No lack of experience? Is he having a laugh?
so england were inexperienced back in 2011? Suuuuuuuure tell yourself that repeatedly and it might come true.
Oh can’t wait for this one. It will be tight. Ireland by 3.
Ireland by 5
Ireland by 32
I was unclear. The fact that he said that can never happen again is his faux pas. Because it can and he should work to avoid that. Not patronise the Irish inadvertently cos hes thick.
It’s going to be very close.
I do like Ford but he is no Sexton.
If Brown is out then Goode is going to be looking up at the sky alot!
Irish halfbacks will be the difference between the teams.
Mark. Not really. I think the folks are reacting to the bit where he says he can’t see that ever happening again cos the team are experienced now.
Is Brown out? What’s the story there?
Waiting to hear.
It would be 4 wins from as many games. Come on guys!