Yorke's ban slashed to two matches
by: Ian Prescott (Trinidad Express)
Trinidad and Tobago football captain Dwight Yorke has had a four-match suspension imposed by a FIFA Disciplinary Committee slashed to two matches after his appeal was heard yesterday.
But it is only a partial victory. Yorke will still miss T&T's World Cup qualifier against Honduras tomorrow and also next Wednesday's clash with the United States in Nashville, Tennessee.
He is next available to play for the national team on June 6 at home against Costa Rica.
Yorke's ban was handed down following the February 11 World Cup qualifier in San Salvador against El Salvador, where he was issued a red card at the conclusion of the game after a verbal confrontation with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez.
Yorke was accused of cursing the referee twice and subsequently handed the minimum sanction of a four-match ban for unsportsmanlike conduct towards a match official. He was also fined $4,200.
Speaking yesterday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium while the national team trained, T&T team manager David Muhammad had a mixed reaction to the reduced ban.
"We don't consider it an absolute victory," Muhammad said. "We are happy about the fact that he was allowed to play in two games that he was previously suspended for, but we are unhappy about the fact that he will not be able to play against the USA in Nashville next week Wednesday."
The manager further explained that FIFA had taken into consideration that there were mitigating circumstances which provoked Yorke's reaction, since debris were being throw on the field throughout the match in El Salvador.
Muhammad said it posed a serious threat and Yorke had tried unsuccessfully to bring it to the referee's attention.
That was the basis on which the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation submitted its grounds for appeal on March 19, after which TTFF legal representative Om Lalla presented a case before the FIFA Appeals Committee in Zurich yesterday.
"Looking at the whole chain of events based on cause and effect, the match was basically out of control. By the fact that the El Salvador Football Federation had to be fined by FIFA for unruly, disruptive behaviour, that of itself is an indictment on the fact that Yorke was suspended because Yorke's interaction with the referee was based on that fact that the match was out of control," said Muhammad.
"And FIFA has more or less vindicated and borne witness to our position by fining the Salvadorean Federation. So by the fact that FIFA recognised that the situation was out of control, that should have been grounds itself to drop the ban completely," he declared.
The FIFA Appeals Committe yesterday said they saw no fault with the referee, but felt there were indeed mitigating circumstances. However, they felt the behaviour shown by Dwight Eversley Yorke fully contradicted the idea and goals of fair play and sportsmanship.
"Notwithstanding the above, the committee could not avoid taking into account the gravity of the incidents that was going on throughout the match in question and that aroused Mr Yorke's reaction towards the referee," FIFA said.
"In addition to the above, the deciding authority pointed out that the complaints were put forward by Mr Yorke in his capacity as team captain and on behalf of the team. The action of the players is aimed at drawing the referee's attention to the risk that was being posed to the team. In light of the above, while reiterating their disapproval for any act of disrespect against the match officials, the members of the committee were of the unanimous opinion that the conditions for mitigating circumstances to apply in this case are met."
