PERU’S RENATO TAPIRA admitted discussing World Cup qualification with Colombia captain Radamel Falcao during their match last night but denied making a pact.
Falcao, who plays his club football for French Ligue 1 side Monaco, was seen in discussion with Peruvian players with his hand covering his mouth towards the end of the 1-1 draw in Lima.
Several South American media have published photos of the moment and dubbed it the ‘Lima Pact’.
With the scores at 1-1, Colombia were set to qualify automatically for the finals in Russia while Peru were heading for a play-off against New Zealand.
“In the last five minutes, the Colombians approached us. They knew what the situation was in the other games,” Tapia told Panamericana TV station in an interview aired today.
“So we managed the game as we needed to… I spoke with Radamel, who told me we were both qualified (as things stood), but it’s football and we play to win.”
Asked by Colombian media in the mixed zone after the match what he’d said to Peru’s captain Paolo Guerrero, Falcao said: “We knew what was happening in the other matches, we were playing with (the knowledge of) the other results and in that moment (I tried) to transmit that (to Peru).”
One of Peru’s coaching staff, Nolberto Solano, the former Newcastle United winger, dismissed any notion of a pact between the teams.
“We needed to win, them too. What pact? That’s speculation,” he told RPP radio station.
“Obviously, at the end, we knew what the other results were and you tell yourself: ‘calm it down a bit, we mustn’t take any risks’.”
At the end of the game, both sides played keep ball without showing any desire to attack.
© AFP 2017
Subscribe to The42 podcasts here:
O Shea is diving all over the place when anyone comes near him and then he is complaining when a free is given against him when he effectively clothes lines a Galway player.
@Finnster: You could say he is hanging them out to dry
@Finnster: must be cold in Galway. They have the blanket well and truly out.
Mayo have been poor in attack. OShea keeping in the game. Galway can’t handle him.
@Finnster: pathetic from Galway at the end with the game won. OShea really has the patience of a saint. And he gets booked as well. Laughable.
@Desheen: agreed. Comer is turning into a very good player but he needs to stop the mouthing while it was pathetic by Paul conroy at the end. Galway still need to do it on a big day and in croker though, potentially a good team.
@Paul Mallon: I think Mayo still need to do it on big day in croker too
@thomas: yea fair point. Hopefully Galway really push on as the gaa need as many teams as possible competing come August time.
@Finnster: are you for real . We’re you at the game ? Mayo can’t take the beating. Galway are no angels but Mayo were filthy today.
@Finnster: and dey didnt beat de dubs in the final…
@Finnster: Mayo were drawn into it alright and are rightly no angles. I was referring to that specific incident. Mayo lost the heads also after that. Galway deserves the win but that was hard to watch. Fair play to them great start to d1.
It will be nice and spicy come the championship. How bad was the last ten minutes? Only heard it on the radio.sounded like a few cheap shots but I am glad Galway are showing some serious spine. Our football team was too nice for a long time.
Safe to say O’Connors league campaign hasent got off to the best of starts
@Sam Walsh: He’s good but he’s a liability, about time he was shown a red card
@Sam Walsh: hes no diarmud connolly.
@John Boyle: Maybe so but I wouldent be too worried if I was a Mayo fan. Still a top class side.
Delighted to see a ref brave enough to send that tramp O’Connor off. He’s always at it. But but but Mayo aren’t dirty of course.
@Ciara Baines: agreed , he was the same last year in the championship against Galway and now O Shea is at it. Galway slowly but surely coming good
@Ciara Baines: mayo are pure dorty . Dey were throwin gps’s at the dubs in the final last year