Lionel Scaloni out of Argentina-Peru: Why Copa America’s half-time delay tactics led to suspension

Argentina justifies its status as the favorite of the Copa America 2024 tournament with two victories in Group A, but its performances were not without criticism from opposing coaches, players and fans.

Lionel Messi’s team came under fire for delaying their opening match against Canada. The first half ended 0-0, and after the break, Canada’s players returned to the pitch in time but had to wait for Messi and the rest of his team-mates.

La Albiceleste repeated this feat in the second match of the group stage against Chile, in which La Roja players were on the pitch for several minutes before the Argentines emerged from the tunnel for the second half.

The situation sparked a debate over tournament regulations, and tournament organizers CONMEBOL have now moved to penalize Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and his Chilean counterpart Ricardo Gareca for irregular timing.

Sporting News takes a closer look at the situation and explains why neither Scaloni nor Gareca will be on the pitch for their teams’ matches on Saturday.

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Argentina and Mexico accused of ‘injustice and disrespect’

Argentina is not the only team accused of delaying tactics.

During Mexico’s tournament opener at NRG Stadium, Jamaica’s players returned to the field after a standard 15-minute break. Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson came out of the locker room to find his Mexican teammates absent.

For several minutes, the Jamaican players waited on the pitch, with Mexico coach Jaime Lozano later admitting that he and his team were analyzing first-half tactics and moves that they had to “correct.”

The long break session was the second such delay in three nights at the 2024 Copa America.

On opening night, Canada coach Jesse Marsch also expressed his frustration and even suggested that Argentina “should be fined” for spending a few extra minutes in the locker room. Although Hallgrimsson didn’t go that far, he still considered it “disrespectful.”

“The break is only 15 minutes long,” Hallgrimsson continued. “And if they can go longer, we should at least get the same chance to stay longer. It’s just unfair and disrespectful.”

Marsch echoed something similar and said: “When they were waiting, I knew they were watching the video and analyzing how they wanted to play against us,” referring to Argentina.

Both matches ended goalless. Both teams, which unilaterally took advantage of overtime in their locker rooms, ultimately won – Argentina won 2-0 against Canada, and Mexico won 1-0 against Jamaica.

Chile have also come under fire for a similar situation, with Gareca facing sanctions for being late in bringing on a player at half-time in their match against Argentina.

The delays have raised questions about preventing teams from gaining an unfair advantage, with FIFA rules clearly stipulating that the break between games lasts 15 minutes. CONMEBOL’s Copa America 2024 regulations emphasize that “teams must strictly adhere to the agreed kick-off schedule.”

What happened to Lionel Scaloni and Ricardo Gareca?

It looks like CONMEBOL is keeping its word.

In response to the protests, the team set an example to Argentina and Chile, and on Friday coaches Lionel Scaloni and Ricardo Gareca were banned from the touchline during the Group A finals against Peru and Canada.

Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel will take charge of the Argentina team at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

He told reporters: “Lionel is upset about it. We consider ourselves to be very professional employees. We found out today. It was a blow. Sometimes you talk about a small detail. We didn’t try to find an advantage. Now we have to focus on the next game and move on.”

What are the rules regarding half-time in a Copa America match?

During the Mexico-Jamaica match, referee Ismail Elfath repeatedly whistled and waved the Mexican players back onto the pitch. Both the referee and the Jamaican players pointed to their wrists in the universal “You’re late” gesture.

Neither Mexican players nor coaches were disciplined during the match.

However, according to the CONMEBOL Rules, “any delay in the start or resumption of a match due to delay by one or more teams shall be subject to the sanctions provided for in the CONMEBOL Disciplinary Code and Chapter 16 of these Rules.”

This means the case may be referred to a disciplinary unit, an investigation may be launched and a penalty, such as a fine – or in this case, suspension – may be imposed.

Before the news of the suspensions of Scaloni and Gareca, Marsch made his opinion on the matter clear

“I wish the referees had handled it… (Argentina) had time to prepare to play against us in the second half, which — if we had known in advance that we might have an extra 10 minutes, we could have prepared better.”

Marsch added: “If we had been five minutes late, we would have gotten a ticket. It would have been a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina. I think they need to be punished.”

Asked about the delay at half-time and Hallgrímsson’s comments, Lozano said: “I don’t know if it’s unfair. But we made four or five moves and I waited too long. Yes, it’s my responsibility. Usually we have some moves, some screens that we need to correct or see what we’re doing well. And I think I overdid it a bit.”