Canadian soccer team mentioned in WikiLeaks cable

Canada’s men’s soccer team is featured in WikiLeaks thanks to a Bulgarian referee, Anton Genov, who was suspected of fixing a December 2009 match between Canada and Macedonia. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) suspended Genov shortly after the match in question to investigate his refereeing. He was cleared last February. Canada’s head coach, Stephen Hart, said he had noticed nothing irregular about Genov’s refereeing. “I’d never been in a game with four penalties, but (Genov) called a very, very tight game right from the start,” Hart says. “Any little contact was blown. Other than that, I was surprised because nothing seemed odd to me.” The leaked cable, written by a U.S. Official, lambasted Bulgarian soccer, giving it a “a red card for corruption.”

Toronto Star