Venezuela 'robbed' of final spot, says Chavez

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez commiserated with his country's football fans yesterday by saying the national team was "robbed" of a goal in their Copa America semi-final defeat to Paraguay.

Chavez, who is undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba, posted a string of messages on his Twitter account yesterday morning, saying Venezuela should complain to CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football.

"Paraguay didn't beat us in that game," one message said. The president added that he had been watching the match along with former Cuban President Fidel Castro and they both "clearly saw the goal they took away from us."

"In my modest opinion," Chavez continued, "...they robbed us of the victory goal! And I hope that with this I'm not offending anybody!"

Oswaldo Vizcarrondo had a headed goal disallowed in the first half of the match on Wednesday night after a close offside decision.

Television replays, however, backed the referee's call that the Venezuelan player was offside.

Venezuela also hit the woodwork three times before the game finished 0-0 and Paraguay prevailed in the penalty shoot-out. Paraguay had Jonathan Santana sent off in extra-time but held on for penalties.

The match was then marred by an ugly fight involving players and coaching staff from both sides as they left the field

"Why the devil was that referee going to nullify such a spectacular goal?" Chavez asked in another message. He said he had spoken with Venezuela coach Cesar Farias.

The victory booked Paraguay's first Copa final appearance in 32 years. Goalkeeper Justo Villar's save to deny Franklin Lucena proved the key moment in the shoot-out before Dario Veron struck the winning penalty.

It means they have qualified for the final despite having not won a match without the aid of penalties in the tournament.

In spite of Chavez's outburst, most Venezuelan fans said they were proud of their team for making the progress they did in the tournament - the first time they have reached the last four.

Thousands of the country's fans watched the match on a big screen in a Caracas plaza and created a boisterous atmosphere throughout.

Afterwards, the consensus was that Venezuela had played better football than Paraguay throughout the match.

Venezuela, long known largely for its standout baseball players, has seen its national football team improve markedly in recent years.

Paraguay will face Uruguay in the final on Sunday, while Venezuela will come up against Peru in the third/fourth-place play-off.