Bolivia loses U-15 World Cup match to England amid penalty controversy

The Bolivian U-15 national team suffered a 3-2 defeat against England in the Category B final of the U-15 World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. The match was marked by significant controversy during the final minutes when the referee awarded a penalty to England.

Bolivian players and coaching staff protested the decision, alleging that the foul on English attacker Emmanuel Famokun occurred outside the penalty area. During the protest, a Bolivian coach received a yellow card for entering the pitch to demonstrate the location of the alleged infraction. In a show of dissent, Bolivian goalkeeper Gael Molina remained near the post without attempting to defend the shot, and other players moved toward the bench. England converted the penalty to secure the win.

The incident led to heightened tensions, including physical confrontations between players from both teams, requiring intervention from a FIFA official to separate the parties. This loss concluded a tournament for Bolivia that included notable performances against teams such as Tahiti, Seychelles, and Congo.