In the dying minutes of the United States' 3-1 Gold Cup semifinal win over Honduras on Wednesday night, Jurgen Klinsmann was dismissed by the referee after he reacted poorly to a bad call. This was the temper tantrum that caused the referee to banish him to the locker room.
Klinsmann was dismissed, not sent off, which is an important distinction to make. Coaches can't be sent off in the same way players can, at least not in the Gold Cup. Because CONCACAF -- the governing body for international soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean -- is a joke, misinformation was everywhere after the incident. Most believed Klinsmann to have picked up a suspension for the Gold Cup final.
Confirmed: Jurgen Klinsmann suspended for Gold Cup final after being sent off.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 25, 2013
This turned out not to be true, but it wasn't Wahl's fault in the slightest that he initially got this wrong, since he heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
CONCACAF chief press officer Jurgen Mainka now says he got bad info, Klinsmann suspension will be decided by CONCACAF disciplinary committee
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 25, 2013
Welcome to CONCACAF.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 25, 2013
Yes, the CONCACAF press officer was told by his superiors that Jurgen Klinsmann would be suspended for the Gold Cup final when, in fact, his status for the final will be determined by a disciplinary committee. That committee will look at the referee's report from the match and determine, based on that report, whether or not he will be allowed to stand on the touchline when the U.S. takes on Panama.
More likely than not, this news will come down on Friday. It's hard to imagine that Klinsmann's actions will result in a suspension, but CONCACAF is unpredictable and everything they do is seemingly arbitrary. Don't assume anything yet.
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