Media in Guatemala call en masse for Etienne Vaessen to be suspended: 'This is punishable!'

Media in Guatemala are not pulling any punches over Etienne Vaessen. They are even calling on CONCACAF to suspend the Suriname goalkeeper after footage emerged.

Things boiled over in the early hours of Tuesday after the Nations League match between Guatemala and Suriname (1-0). The defeat to Guatemala knocked Suriname out of the tournament's quarter-finals.

The two countries had also met last week. That one finished 0-0. This time the flashpoint came in the closing stages, when Matthew Evans pulled the trigger in the 96th minute. His long-range effort gave Vaessen no chance: 1-0.

Minor scuffles had already broken out in the first leg between the two countries last week. Vaessen dribbled past the Guatemala striker and then decided to wave at him as he went by.

After Richonell Margaret had earlier been sent off in the return match for reacting to suspected racism, tempers flared again after the final whistle.

Vaessen could not contain his anger after the match. The goalkeeper played a leading role in a heated confrontation between the two countries. Footage later showed him making an obscene gesture towards the fans in attendance.

Guatemalan outlet La Red 106.1 want to see a suspension for that gesture. “He grabbed his genitals and repeated a gesture. This is a punishable action. CONCACAF can review the footage for a possible sanction,” the outlet writes.

Prensa Libre splashed a huge headline across its post-match coverage: “Qué pasó con Vaessen?” That translates loosely as: “What happened to Vaessen?” The outlet writes that the FC Groningen goalkeeper was provoking the crowd throughout the match by repeatedly wasting time over goal-kicks. They too speak of an ‘obscene gesture’ afterwards.