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Wambach: Referee in Colombia match 'purposefully' booked U.S. players in danger of suspension

Reuters

Abby Wambach won't stop going in. On the turf; on her past with Colombian star Lady Andrade; and now on the referees.

The American captain, speaking after her team's 2-0 victory over Colombia in their Round of 16 contest on Monday, suggested that there may have been some unsavory practices at play involving the official tasked with overseeing the match.

Midfielders Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday were both booked by referee Stephanie Frappart, which will result in the duo missing the upcoming quarterfinal against China due to yellow card accumulation.

Talking to reporters after the match, Wambach suggested that the French official may have done so deliberately.

"I don’t know if they were yellows. It seemed like she was purposefully giving those yellows to, maybe players she knew were sitting on yellows," the 35-year-old said, as quoted by Steven Sandor of Sportsnet. "I don’t know if that’s a psychological thing. Who knows?"

Wambach, who missed a penalty in the match, has scored just once thus far in the tournament.

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