Panama lost all three of its matches in its World Cup debut and then its coach took offense when it was suggested that the team was the worst at the tournament. The Central American team closed out its time in Russia with a 2-1 loss to Tunisia on Thursday. Egypt was the only other team to lose all three of its games. But Panama’s minus-nine goal difference was the worst at a World Cup among teams with zero points since North Korea’s minus-11 in 2010. When asked why some were calling his team the worst at this World Cup, Panama coach Hernan Gomez got angry.
“Maybe we were last, but are we really the worst team?” Gomez said. “I think you should compare everything, the backdrops. We are the newest team and we ran into the most difficult schedule.”
Primarily known as a country for producing baseball players and boxers, soccer is only just catching on in Panama. Gomez said that Panama lacks soccer fields, strong club competitions, and the infrastructure to compete at the top level at the moment.
“Please don’t call us the worst team,” he said. “We are not the worst team. We are a team that is learning and growing. I think you need to respect our team much more. You cannot call us the worst team. That is a lack of respect.”