Sat | Nov 30, 2024

Slapped

Moca FC players hit with suspensions following National Stadium brawls

Published:Saturday | November 23, 2024 | 12:06 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
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Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force attempt to restrain Miguel Baez of Moca FC moments after an altercation which saw Baez ejected from a Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final against Cavalier at the National Stadium on October 30.
Gladstone Taylor
Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force attempt to restrain Miguel Baez of Moca FC moments after an altercation which saw Baez ejected from a Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final against Cavalier at the National Stadium on October 30.
Cavalier’s Christopher Ainsworth (left) celebrates a goal against the Dominican Republic’s Moca FC with a somersault during the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final at the National Stadium on October 30. Kaile Auvray gets in on the action as well.
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo Editor
Cavalier’s Christopher Ainsworth (left) celebrates a goal against the Dominican Republic’s Moca FC with a somersault during the Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final at the National Stadium on October 30. Kaile Auvray gets in on the action as well.
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CONCACAF’S DISCIPLINARY committee has taken action against two players from the Dominican Republic’s Moca FC following ugly brawls at the National Stadium in Kingston during the second leg of their Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinal fixture against reigning Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier SC on October 30.

At the half-time interval, with Cavalier leading 4-0, tempers flared and goalkeeper Miguel Baez, captain of Moca FC, got involved in a physical altercation with a police officer.

He has been slapped with a six-game suspension for violent conduct.

Teammate and midfielder Jesus Correa, who was in another physical confrontation with Cavalier players, has received a three-game suspension for the same reason. The match ended 7-0 in favour of Cavalier.

The players will begin serving their suspensions at the start of the upcoming Concacaf Caribbean Cup third-place playoff between Moca FC and Haiti’s Real Hope. That tie will begin with the first-leg fixture set for Tuesday with a reverse slated for December 3 to determine the third Caribbean representative at next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.

Finalists Cavalier and Cibao have already secured automatic berth for the Champions Cup.

Following that fixture Hiram Apaiz, head coach of the team, while speaking through a translator, stated that the coaching staff was surprised at the melee.

“Like a human being, sometimes things happen. For us it was surprising, but we were losing 4-0, at the time, and then to play with less (players) complicated things for us,” he stated.

During that interview, Apaiz shared his disappointment with his team’s utter destruction at the hands of his Caribbean neighbours.

“We didn’t expect that and it’s difficult to accept. Coming here, thinking something different and then to lose 7-0, for us, it’s a disaster. The first thing we can do is to recover our mentality,” he said.

Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid has not commented on the sanctions, saying that he needed to turn all his attention to Cavalier’s final against the Dominican Republic’s Cibao on Tuesday.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com