The controversy shakes Panamanian soccer after forward Gustavo Herrera’s strong accusations against goalkeeper José Calderón, whom he publicly accused of alleged match-fixing.
The accusation arose after the match between Sporting San Miguelito and Alianza FC, which ended with a 2-3 defeat for Calderón’s team in an outcome full of controversy. The Panamanian goalkeeper has an extensive career in Central American soccer that includes spells with Guatemalan clubs such as Comunicaciones FC, Xelajú MC, Platense and Marathón de Honduras.
The decisive moment came in the 90th minute when the score was tied 2-2. A cross from the left wing generated an apparently controlled play for the goalkeeper, but Calderón failed to secure the ball and ended up sending it into the back of his own goal in an action that immediately sparked doubts and suspicions among those present at the Rommel Fernández stadium. The play was so shocking that his teammate Herrera left the field visibly frustrated before the final whistle and minutes later he took to his social networks to make his accusations publicly.
Herrera’s message was direct and forceful. The forward pointed out the goalkeeper by name and surname and questioned the impact of this type of situation on the new generations of Panamanian soccer. “The truth is that this is very sad. There are many players who kill themselves in games, players who want to leave the country to fulfill their dreams, and those who are staining the sport should step aside and dedicate themselves to something else and have the balls to accept what they do.“, expressed the attacker on his social networks in a message that quickly generated reactions throughout the Central American football environment.
The coach also questioned
San Miguelito’s coach, the historic Julio César Dely Valdés, also did not hide his discomfort with what happened during the match. The former Panama coach pointed out that the match was strange from the first minute and that at several moments he felt embarrassed to be leading a team that seemed not to want to win.
“It was a very strange game from minute 1, very strange things. At this point it doesn’t surprise me,” stated Dely Valdés, leaving the door open to the fact that what happened was not an isolated event.
So far José Calderón has not issued an official response to the accusations of his teammate and his coach, while the debate continues to grow on and off the fields in Panama. The Panamanian press reports that the goalkeeper could be removed from the team by the coach in the coming days, in what would be an immediate consequence of a scandal that has put the former goalkeeper of several clubs in the Guatemalan National League in the eye of the hurricane.
Jose “Chepo” Calderón, two-time champion goalkeeper with Xelajú MC, now defends the goal of Sporting San Miguelito in Panama, is strongly criticized and involved in a great controversy for this play in the last minute that gave the classification to the opposing team. pic.twitter.com/gQrMf8CTYl
— Fans of Club Xelajú MC (@FanClubXelajuMC) May 3, 2026