According to Dutch media outlet Algemeen Dagblad, Suriname suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Guatemala in the CONCACAF Nations League, unfortunately missing out on a spot in the quarterfinals. During the match, Surinamese player Roscello Margo was red-carded for allegedly provoking home fans, but the player stated that his actions were a response to racist abuse directed at him and his teammates from the stands. Following the match, the Surinamese Football Association expressed strong dissatisfaction and demanded action from the relevant authorities.
Before this match, Suriname, coached by Henk Fraser, only needed a draw to qualify for the quarterfinals. However, the controversial events during the game put the team at a disadvantage.
Margo, who plays for Go Ahead Eagles, was shown a direct red card by the referee for allegedly provoking Guatemalan home fans. Consequently, Suriname had to play with 10 men for a significant portion of the match.
After the match, Margo explained his actions via his personal social media. He stated that he reacted because he was subjected to racist abuse from fans in the stands.
Margo wrote: "The entire stadium was making monkey noises at me and my teammates. Should we just keep enduring such things?"
Despite being a man down, Suriname held on bravely for about half an hour. However, in the 96th minute, Guatemalan player Mathew Evans scored, beating Surinamese goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen, who plays for Groningen.
With this late winner, Guatemala ultimately won 1-0, while Suriname, who only needed a draw to advance, was unfortunately eliminated.
After the final whistle, the situation on the field remained tense, with staff from both sides continuing to argue on the pitch, eventually requiring police intervention to maintain order.
After the match, Brian Tevreden, Director of Football Affairs for the Surinamese Football Association, publicly condemned the racist incidents that occurred during the game.
Tevreden stated that Surinamese players heard monkey chants from the home stands throughout the entire match in Guatemala City, but no effective measures were taken by the relevant personnel.
He wrote on social media: "No one took any action. The game was not suspended, and CONCACAF's anti-discrimination procedures specifically designed to deal with such incidents were not implemented."
Tevreden was particularly enraged by Margo's red card. He believes that the player reacted after being subjected to racist abuse, yet became the one punished.
Tevreden said: "He reacted to those noises and was shown a red card. The victim was punished, while the perpetrators went unpunished. This is completely backward."
Furthermore, Tevreden revealed that similar incidents had occurred in Suriname's previous match against El Salvador.
He questioned: "How many more times do our players have to go through this before CONCACAF and FIFA take action?"
Suriname believes that racist behavior against players should not be ignored and explicitly criticized the failure to initiate relevant anti-discrimination procedures during the match.
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