VANCOUVER, BC – Confusion abounded in the Canada West men’s soccer semifinal between the Mount Royal Cougars and Calgary Dinos.
After 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, the match went to two periods of extra time, with the Calgary Dinos scoring a winning goal in the second half of extra time (109′) and clinching their spot in the Canada West Championship match, eliminating the Cougars from gold medal and U SPORTS Championship contention.
However, a mistake went unnoticed by the teams and officials, as the Calgary Dinos used seven substitution opportunities throughout the extended match, which ran against the rules and regulations of Canada West men’s playoff soccer.
According to Policy 6.2 in the October 2022 Men’s and Women’s Soccer Playing Regulations, men’s teams are only allowed six substitute opportunities outside of unlimited sub-windows at half-time, full time and half-time of extra time.
The Dinos seven subs did not take place in these designated unlimited windows, as they infringed on the regulations. However, the match officials nor either team noticed the issue until after the final whistle.
49 Sports reached out to Canada West for comment.
“It was an unfortunate error that was not caught by the officials or the participating teams until after the game was completed via video review,” said Rocky Olfert, Managing Director of Canada West. “Canada West will work with our members and officials to review policy and process to ensure a meaningful competitive experience for all participants.”
The result from Saturday’s match stands, and the MRU Cougars will take on the Alberta Golden Bears for Canada West bronze, while the Calgary Dinos face the UBC Thunderbirds for the Canada West title and final berth at the 2022 U SPORTS Championships.
Disgraceful and shocking. Cheating is tolerated as long as you aren’t caught is the message being sent to student athletes.