A scary medical incident caused a significant delay just before halftime of the 2024 Copa America group match between Canada and Peru in Kansas City on Tuesday.
The weather was brutally hot as the two teams met for the day's early kickoff, with an excessive heat advisory in the midwest city. Temperatures were in excess of 90 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff, with the opening whistle at 5 p.m. local time.
Deep into four minutes of first-half stoppage time, an assistant referee collapsed on the touchline, causing a long delay amidst a worrying scene, which left many TV viewers unsure as to what had occurred.
The Sporting News details what happened, and brings you all the latest news surrounding the official's condition in the aftermath of the incident.
Assistant referee collapses in Canada vs. Peru amidst Kansas City heat
Just before halftime of the 2024 Copa America group game between Canada and Peru, Guatemalan assistant referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed on the touchline.
Players called immediately for the medical staff and ran over to attend to the stricken official.
With temperatures exceedingly hot, it seemed as if he had succumbed to the extreme weather. However, for most TV viewers at home, it was unclear what had happened or how bad the situation was, and the television broadcast decided not to air images of the scene on the touchline.
Eventually, the official was helped to his feet, and Panjoj was shown sitting in a chair, appearing to have recovered. However, while the cameras were showing the scene live, Panjoj appeared to again lose consciousness, slumping down in his chair as those attending to him attempted to keep him from falling to the ground.
At that point, the broadcast cut away and did not show any more images of the official. He was later carried from the field on a stretcher.
With the four minutes of first-half stoppage time nearly complete when the incident occurred, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch could be seen requesting that halftime be called by referee Mario Escobar, but he was insistent that the match continued, and a few more seconds of play were completed before the whistle was eventually blown.
No official word has been released on Panjoj's condition, but a report from Guatemalan broadcaster DSports states that he is conscious and has begun to recover.
The Sporting News will add more updates as they are available.
Who steps in after a referee or assistant is injured?
The fourth official is usually the one to serve as reserve official should any member of the three-team staff be rendered unable to continue during a match.
In this case, that's exactly what happened, as Ecudorian fourth official Augusto Aragon stepped in to serve as the assistant referee for the second half of Canada vs. Peru.
A fourth official serving as assistant referee is an unusual situation. Fourth officials are exclusively head officials chosen to work the touchline of a given match. Becoming a head official and an assistant referee are two completely different career paths, and transitioning from one to the other usually requires an individual to start at the bottom of the pyramid.
