Haiti fans call ‘foul’ after 1-0 loss to Scotland in World Cup opener

BOSTON — In the overnight hours after Haiti’s 1-0 loss to Scotland Saturday, legions of Les Grenadiers fans and analysts took to social media to argue that the referee’s penalty calls, or lack thereof, hamstrung the Haitians and helped the Scottish team to victory. Sunday afternoon, a petition had begun circulating to demand that FIFA investigate the calls, citing unfairness and racism.

“We therefore call on FIFA to review the officiating of this crucial match and to take appropriate measures to prevent such situations from recurring in the future,” the petition starter, Paris-based James Fleurant, wrote in the Change.org demand. 

“The voice of the fans must be heard, for it embodies the hopes and passions of millions of people,” Fleurant wrote.

By Sunday afternoon, the online petition had drawn more than 19,000 signatures and was gaining momentum, according to the site.

While many Haitians chucked up the loss to the game being what happens in football, some outright angry fans listed a slew of grievances after the late evening match at Gillette Stadium ended. They complained mainly that Haiti should have been awarded two penalty kicks when Scot defender Grant Hanley appeared to intentionally hand the ball in the box in the 73rd and 79th minutes.

Fans also said referee Mustapha Ghorbal should have at least utilized Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the plays. They think Scot defender Kenny McLean should have been sent off when he kicked Haitian winger Josué Casimir in the knee in the 94th minute, leaving the Grenadier twisting in pain on the field. But Ghorbal only gave McLean a yellow card.

Earlier in the evening during the first half, fans in the stands grumbled about what they saw as a clear red flag when Scottish defender Aaron Hickey appeared to grab the arm of Haitian winger Ruben Providence and twist his jersey in the first half. Providence retaliated by shoving Hickey, and the referees inflicted Haiti with a foul.

Haiti fans booed and grumbled at the time, believing it was early yet in the match, and the game moved on with no challenges.

Later in the evening, as the frustrating loss set in, soccer fans and analysts across the world took to social media to revive the bad calls and accuse the referees, and FIFA at large, of racism against Haiti. They said Ghorbal should have blown his whistle against Scotland when Hickey initially grabbed Providence.

As the “Haiti robbed” chatter increased online, fans of other nationalities also chimed in to recall various previous examples of controversial referee calls, including Nigeria in the 1998 World Cup.

In Kissimmee, Fla., Daren Hargreaves, a  former soccer coach, agreed with the movement to investigate.

“I 100 percent agree with a demand to investigate match officials,” Hargreaves said. “What happened yesterday was clearly not right. The ref was giving Scotland a lot of free passes.

“He called so many plays against Haiti,” Hargreaves said.

While the backlash brewed, some fans say Haiti missing several shots is ultimately responsible more than the calls.

Haiti supporter Walden St-Juste was heading to Connecticut with his family after watching the game at the stadium. He said Les Grenadiers seemed “nervous” at the beginning of the game and that he hopes with those jitters out of the way, the team will prevail in the next two matches.

“I know a lot of people say that we were cheated,” St-Juste said. “There was probably one penalty where I thought that it was unfair, but to be honest, I think the Haitian players were a little too nervous. 

“Scotland was on defense most of the game, so really, Haiti was the better team,” he added. It’s just that we got to work on making our goals.”

“We had a couple of kicks at the goal that just didn’t go our way,” he added. “You know, in soccer, a lot of penalties are missed. Next week, when Haiti takes us to Brazil, the nerves are out and then they’re ready to play.”

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