The repercussions of the excessive provocations that the referee
Fernando Espinoza
made against the players and coaching staff of
Atlético Tucumán
during the defeat against
San Lorenzo
do not stop.
This Sunday, after the midfielder
Guillermo Bebe Acosta
-expelled and reported for repeated insults- shot with large ammunition, it was the president of the "Dean",
Mario Leito
, who charged harshly against the judge and
demanded a psychological examination from the AFA
that show that you can continue directing in the Professional League.
Espinoza's arbitration in Atlético Tucumán and San Lorenzo can go directly to Guinness... but what should not be done.
Because a referee can be right or wrong in his rulings, but Espinoza's, with his gestures and attitudes, served to tense up a game that was about to end in a scandal, with the local team's footballers taken out and the public throwing projectiles into the pitch. game, including a cell phone.
"As I said last night before the press, after the last game against Boca I asked the AFA that Espinoza not lead us again, that's why we were surprised this week when they appointed him to referee against San Lorenzo. And, once appointed, there is not much that can be done"
, Leito began a thread on his official account on the social network Twitter.
The memory of the also national deputy for the Frente de Todos was for the summit duel last season, when Espinoza had another controversial performance just when the 'Dean' was defending his status as leader - he lost 2 to 1 - before whom he later ended up taking the place and getting the title under the leadership of
Hugo Ibarra
.
"After last night's disastrous arbitration, I am not only going to ask again that he no longer direct Atlético Tucumán, but that Espinoza be seriously analyzed if he
is in a psychological condition to direct and that the authorities show the documentation that supports him to arbitrate
," he completed. .
Leito maintained that the actions of the 39-year-old referee, a native of San Martín, "is systematic in all the fields of Argentine soccer", so the clubs cannot remain "idly waiting for an act of violence to occur that has to regret".
"Espinoza does soccer badly and that AFA supports him goes against what is promoted in relation to eradicating violence from the fields of Argentina. It's not just me saying it: he is unanimously the worst referee in the history of Argentine soccer."
, hill.
The detail of the scandal
The match had just started, barely a handful of players had come into contact with the ball and in an attack, the first of the match, the Tucuman public roared for a penalty that Espinoza did not score.
The play, which in the repetition did not appear to be an infraction, had Guillermo Acosta falling before the mark of Maicon Braida.
Once the play had dissipated and when the clock had just marked the first minute of play, the referee had an unexpected reaction: instead of running into the area, he ran to the substitutes' bench with the red card in hand.
The addressee was Lucas Pusineri and Espinoza's address to explain the unequivocal reasons: he put his fingers to his mouth to publicly show that the DT had exceeded some consideration towards his person.
"Go ahead because I'll take you out with the police," Espinoza reacted incredibly to Pusineri's request for explanations, who repeated: "I can't believe it, I can't believe it."
What did the referee hear?
Difficult to know, impossible to distinguish on a practically full soccer field.
Meanwhile, Espinoza put two fingers on his shoulder to refer to the police presence, demanding that the former Independiente be removed from the place.
Espinoza waited for Pusineri to retire and the match was interrupted for practically the same time that passed from the initial whistle: one minute and 7 seconds.
Unusual.
But the game continued, San Lorenzo went up 2-0 and Atlético Tucumán reached discount after a controversial action.
Acosta's shot deflected off Romero but there was a player in an advanced position who seemed to interfere with the vision of goalkeeper Batalla.
The VAR suggested to Espinoza that he review the play on the monitor but he maintained his criteria, perhaps knowing that he had been too severe with Pusineri.
The famous law of compensation, an evil that affects arbitration here and there.
That same rule that a few minutes later, at minute 42, caused the VAR to call Espinoza to see a foul that he had omitted, a stomp from Maestro Puch that the referee ended up punishing with a red card.
That decision exasperated everyone, including Guillermo Acosta, who argued with the judge and insulted him until he saw the red card.
There were two expulsions in one minute, with Pusineri returning from the locker room to maintain his confrontation with Espinoza and the public throwing the cell phone that went viral but also the occasional stone.
An assistant from San Lorenzo fell to the ground as a result of these attacks, and the game continued to be played.
If Espinoza lacked something, it was to fight with the police: he badly got rid of the arm of a policeman who tried to protect him from the attacks from the stands.
The start of the second half was more of the same, with another difficult decision to justify without thinking about compensation.
Gastón Hernández disputed a ball with Renzo Tesuri and the judge invented an infraction and the red card to the Barcelona defender.
Luckily, everyone's anger was giving way to resignation, and the game ended without major incidents.
In a press conference, Pusineri denied having insulted Espinoza and, without wanting to get into controversy, spoke of past situations that could have influenced his arbitration.
In Tucumán he is marked by always whistling against them.
One of the strongest claims was in a Boca vs Atlético last year, momentous in the development of the 2022 League, when he omitted a penalty and after the game it was erroneously suggested that he had made a complicit comment to the xeneize defender Frank Fabra.
But he also reminds him of controversies against Estudiantes, Defensa and River in the Monumental, among others.
He will now join the expulsions against San Lorenzo tonight.
The referee left José Fierro without making a statement and possibly the usual thing will happen, as happened recently when he showed grass to some Newell's plate players in a derogatory way or when he had a shouting argument with the Arsenal goalkeeper in the middle of the game.
He will lower his profile for a couple of weeks until he makes the news again for another provocation.
The worst mistake a referee can make.
look also
San Lorenzo won a hot and controversial game in Tucumán to be one point behind River
Bebe Acosta shot referee Fernando Espinoza with thick ammunition: "There are no words for this guy, he is superb"
The referee Espinoza and his show of provocations in Atlético Tucumán vs. San Lorenzo: red at the minute, three expelled and cell phone thrown from the stands