HSV midfielder Immanuel Pherai has returned from international duty with Suriname after what he described as the worst match of his career.
The sporting fact
Pherai played four internationals over the past two weeks, taking his Suriname total to 15 appearances. The Amsterdam-born attacking midfielder, whose father is from Suriname, previously represented the Netherlands at youth level.
He has so far featured only for Hamburg II in the Regionalliga this season after returning from his loan spell at Elversberg.
The final match of the trip ended in a 1-0 defeat away to Guatemala in the CONCACAF Nations League. Pherai started and was substituted in the 94th minute, shortly before Guatemala scored the winner.
The result became secondary after a match marked by racist abuse, crowd disorder and confrontations between the teams.
Pherai said Suriname had faced disruption before kick-off. The squad could not train at the stadium the day before the game, while noise outside the hotel disturbed them during the night. Whistles during the pitch inspection were manageable, he said, but the treatment worsened during the anthems.
“The whistles and shouts during our national anthem were unsporting and disrespectful,” Pherai said. “Then, from kick-off, it felt as if 25,000 people were shouting ‘Negro’.”
The match escalated further in the 63rd minute, when Suriname striker Richonell Margaret was sent off. Pherai said Margaret was subjected to insults, thrown bottles and monkey noises.
- Immanuel Pherai
- Richonell Margaret
Suriname’s players approached referee Joseph Dickerson to report the abuse. The 38-year-old American official appeared overwhelmed by the situation, Pherai said.
“He was alone in a foreign country at the end, and you could see that,” Pherai said.
Tensions continued after the dismissal. A large confrontation followed the final whistle, with players from both sides involved. Pherai accepted that Suriname’s players could have acted better in the heat of the moment, but said he would not stand by while team-mates were attacked.
The Guatemala fixture was already the second meeting between the sides. They drew 0-0 in Suriname three days earlier, so there is no immediate rematch scheduled.
