A REFEREE snubbed a handshake from Christian Pulisic following an angry clash on the pitch as fans claimed the game was “rigged”.
The incredible moment occurred as the USA were dumped out of the Copa America with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay.
Former Chelsea star Pulisic, now at AC Milan, saw his side exit the tournament in the group stage after suffering two consecutive defeats.
The USA won their first match 2-0 against Bolivia.
But they were left stunned last week when minnows Panama secured a 2-1 victory in a heated game that saw two players sent off.
And last night, Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay showed no mercy as they beat the Americans 1-0 to seal top spot in Group C.
The result saw Gregg Berhalter’s men finish third, preventing them from reaching the knockout stage.
However, the USA felt they were on the receiving end of several strange decisions by Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega.
One moment saw him book USA defender Chris Richards while still giving the advantage to Uruguay — despite the Americans believing play had stopped.
And Uruguay’s 66th-minute winner from Mathias Olivera also appeared to come from an offside position.
EURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERS
Pulisic’s frustration boiled over before full-time when he approached the official and yelled in his face.
But when the whistle blew to end the game, things became even more tense.
Some fans sympathised with Pulisic as they could not believe the decision.
Many took to social media to claim that the game was “rigged”.
One posted: “You can’t convince me that this isn’t rigged. The refereeing tonight has been terrible all game.”
A second wrote: “I give up. Copa America is unwatchable. That was clearly offside. But this is also clearly rigged. No point watching.”
Another added: “CONMEBOL successfully pulled off the scam of the century.
“Stole all the US stadiums, money, and publicity for the Copa America, and they rigged every game against an already terribly managed USA team ensuring they don’t qualify. Congrats South America!”
There was no reason to believe that the game had actually been “rigged”.
As Pulisic went up to Ortega with his hand stretched outwards, the referee stared back while refusing to accept it.
The lack of a handshake left viewers stunned.
But some fans claimed that, in the moments leading up to the snub, Pulisic had gestured to the official to join in with Uruguay’s celebrations.
There is no suggestion Pulisic was actually telling Ortega and his fellow refs to toast Uruguay’s victory.
But Ortega was clearly unhappy and kept his hands behind his back as Pulisic moved in for a shake.
Fans weren’t too pleased with the ref’s behaviour though.
Reacting on social media, one said: “The unsportsmanlike conduct by these refs is next level.”
Another declared: “To be fair, based on the calls in the game, there’s a chance he’s blind.”
One noted: “Typical main character syndrome, not fit to be an official.”
Another added: “Red card to the ref.”
