The Brazilian referee who directed the 1986 Mexico final between Argentina and Germany died

Romualdo Arppi Filho

, former Brazilian referee famous for directing the

in Mexico that Argentina beat Germany 3-2,

in the Brazilian city of Santos, São Paulo state.

The paulista suffered from kidney disease.

. 

The GloboNews news network reported that one of the three sons of the former referee, Ricardo de Oliveira Arppi, was the one who confirmed the death of his father, who was hospitalized at the Ana Costa Hospital.

"My father will always be a reference both in sport and in humanity, he was an incredible being," his son told the news channel.

The place that football history reserves for Arppi is linked to Diego Maradona and the National Team, because he was the referee in the 1986 World Cup final, when Argentina lifted the World Cup after beating the tough German team 3-2.

Arppi Filho whistles the final of the World Cup that consecrates Maradona and the National Team as world champions.

Photo: File

“$150 a day”

.

Just a per diem.

That he recalled in an interview having received during his stay in Mexico.

It was, after all,

until the final duel between Argentines and Germans.

After Maradona's death on November 25, 2020, the former referee from São Paulo had expressed his sadness.

Although, in that final, the Brazilian admonished him.

Despite the years and the time that has passed, Romualdo kept certain memories intact until the end.

“At minute 17, there was a foul committed by defender Brown to the left of the box.

Germany executed, Maradona came out of the barrier and I whistled.

Luckily the ball didn't go in or anything.

And there I got him a card, ”he recalled recently in an interview.

"With Diego I never had a problem in that final. He obviously asked me for the time when the game was ending and the Germans came and asked me to continue for more minutes, not to finish it. On the contrary, Maradona was always the one who had problems because of the violence they used against him, we charged for the fouls because they hit him a lot," he said on that occasion.

A race linked to Argentine teams

The man from São Paulo led until 1990 and was a participant in other great moments for Argentine soccer, some of them with great controversies in between.

He refereed the second game of the 1973 Copa Libertadores final, the rematch in Chile between Colo Colo and Independiente, and annulled a valid goal by Carlos Caszely that would have put the trans-Andean team ahead.

The match ended 0-0, there was a third duel in Montevideo and those from Avellaneda kept the title.

Final of the '73 Libertadores between Colo Colo and Independiente, Arppi Filho ignores the claims of the Chilean players.

Photo: File

Until today they point to him on the other side of the Cordillera as a "thief", despite the fact that Colo Colo players admitted that they asked their president to bribe Filho.

For Red he was almost a talisman: he was also present in Tokyo, in the 1984 Intercontinental that Ricardo Bochini and company beat Liverpool 1-0 with a goal from Percudani.

But it was even linked to a positive memory for the other half of Avellaneda: he delivered justice in the final of the Inter-American Super Cup that Racing beat Heridiano of Costa Rica, a title for which even today the Argentine club demands that Conmebol be counted. as official.

Arppi Filho was also the second Brazilian referee to lead a world final after Armando Cézar Coelho, who led the decisive match between Italy and Germany in the 1982 World Cup, which the "Azzurra" won 3-1.

Arppi and his children had a very good relationship with the Argentine community that lives in Santos and in the city of São Paulo, to the point that they organized amateur matches and championships followed by a Brazilian barbecue.

The Qatar 2022 final

Before the final on December 18 in Qatar 2022 between Argentina and France, Arppi told a query from the Télam agency that "he had not decided to support any team" because he maintained the way of thinking inherited from his profession as a referee.

For Arppi, his career as a referee had been a kind of blessing since he managed to direct

and Maradona in the 1986 Mexico final. "For me the two must divide the throne of the greatest," he used to say. .

During 2019, Pelé himself greeted Arppi publicly for his birthday.

“A lot of people thought he was mad at them, but he was one of the best referees I've ever seen.

We argued because he was very energetic, but the truth is that he also protected me by being rigid and thanks to him they didn't kick me so many times”, acknowledged O Rey.

With information from Telam