“What hurts the most is that it was all arranged by my assistant referee and I didn’t know anything about it. I was only told when the officials’ pre season began for the following season.
I was gutted. Not because, I was not part of it. I was annoyed because they played me. My own assistants played me. I watched that game back many times now, and I can see it all. I remember thinking during that game, that I was getting many decisions wrong, and that thankfully their flags were putting me right. I even thought I needed a holiday. I was many times about to blow my whistle for offside, but looking up, the flag was down or the other way round. I was relieved to have other people with me, who were saving my backside. It turns out; it was not that way at all”
Today is former referee Javier Collado who speaks out. The game was a Colon vs Racing he officiated.
He said this a while ago, while he was still active, and never retracted his accusations.
He was due a contract renovation, normally a formality for football referees. He did not get one. Age wise had 2 years left according to the rules. But he was told, there was going to be a restructuration and he was not part of it.
The person telling him was the vice president of the referees committee and former international whistle Francisco Lamolina. When he asked further, he was told that they did not need to give him any explanations and that the decision was made by the President of the Referees Committee, Julio Humberto Grondona. Yes the same Grondona who presides the AFA, and the Discipline tribunal. Is there any decision in Argentinean football that is not made by him?
“I have even seen two teams losing in purpose to get their managers sacked. That is scandalous. How do they live with their actions? The managers may soon be gone, but the real football people will know why the Managers are not there anymore”
This last part he said it about Colon players when they allegedly wanted Falcioni out, and Independiente players when they according to him did not want Santoro as their interim boss.
He said it when they were still on their roles. A few weeks later they were fired for bad results.
“I never said that match fixing is something in the core of the game in this country. I have only mentioned that game where my assistant was paid to influence the result. In 12 years in the profession, I mentioned one case. I thought that by mentioning it, they were going to investigate and action the issue to right the wrongs. But instead, my contract was not renewed”
He also distanced himself from what Javier Ruiz said “it is not my story. It is his. I told my story”
“Do you know how many times money has changed hands before the beginning of a game, just because the referee hugged somebody, and someone else watching thought, that is it, that is the signal, the referee is on our side? Worse is we most times hugged people as we arrive at a ground, as an affectionate thing. People were not hugging us for respect. They were trying to send a signal to someone else that the referee was bought, And we, knew nothing about it”
That is from another retired referee. One that caused a few controversial moments, His name is Daniel Gimenez.
He was the referee of 2 of the most shambolic games of recent times. But he claims to have done the right thing in both, and refutes all claims of bribery or being part of match fixing.
One of the games was San Martin de San Juan against Huracan in 2007. He was in charge of the second leg of the play offs between them that would decide which of them will be promoted to the top flight, and which one will have to go through another play off to try again.
The first leg ended in a 1-0 home victory to Huracan. So it was all to play for.
San Martin took the lead through a controversial penalty for handball. A few minutes later a much clearer handball inside the other penalty box was not given.
Huracan equalises and the party was getting spoilt.
When the second leg gets to the 89th minute San Martin de San Juan score to make it 2-1 to them. For that goal Gimenez gave a free kick to San Martin, close to Huracan’s penalty box. It was not a foul, but it was given. From the resulting free kick San Martin scored to make it 2-1. The away goal was still sending Huracan to the Primera Division.
It was then that Gimenez, a former Sergeant in the Argentinean armed forces, signals to the 4th official that there will be 8 minutes of injury time to be added on.
Inside the 1st minute of added time, San Martin scored to make it 3-1, pitch invasion to celebrate, game over before the 8 minutes, San Martin promoted, Huracan needing to play Godoy Cruz for another chance to go up.
“Before that game began, a guy came to my dressing room and from under his jacket he got a San Martin’s t-shirt. He started telling me how greatful he would feel if I accepted it, and how good I will feel in the future, looking back at today’s game.
It sounded all too suspicious, so I asked for their president to came in and explain himself to me. He came in, said he knew nothing about this, apologised and removed this individual from the area. I knew what the guy was trying to do. He was throwing me some bait. If I took that strip, it meant I was with San Martin. I said to the president. Your team will win, lose or draw according to how they perform on the pitch. I am not having any influence on the score line here”
But he added “The Huracan players were wasting time, getting injuries, falling over, etc. I kept telling them. Not a problem. You need treatment it is fine by me, I m not a doctor. But I am a referee, and any second that you are down and getting treated, I will add back on”
“Then one of the defenders brings down a San Martin player. But it was 30 metres out. A referee can’t be blamed for that. Then Brusco takes the free kick, very low, the wall jumped, the ball went under them and it went in”
We have put the clip of that moment for you to make your own conclusions (ninth clip from the top of Clips page). The replay of the goals starts at the 2.38 minutes of the clip. If Gimenez’ account in correct, then he acted rightly.
We have watched the full game many times. We believe that there was no need to add that many minutes on that game and that there was no foul against the San Martin player either, and very clearly was much closer than the 30 metres Gimenez recalls.
What Javier Ruiz told us yesterday came to mind “You favour teams, exploiting their strengths.”
Brusco is a renowned free kick taker, San Martin got the free kick in a position that was favourable to him.
That is not to say; at this stage that he did it in purpose. Just that from our point of view his recollection of events is not very clear.
That was Gimenez’ last ever game. He retired from officiating voluntarily, even if he was still contracted by AFA to referee.
“I wanted to retire. At that stage of my career I remember hating preparing my bag, going to the Airport, staying in hotels, all that. It was time to finish it. There are people out there like the President of Quilmes, who will tell you that I was corrupt and retired because of it. He hated me. He could not understand how all referees were intimidated by his presence and I was not”
Tomorrow’s chapter will take us to the second controversial game that Gimenez officiated. However that game was not at all about him.
I was gutted. Not because, I was not part of it. I was annoyed because they played me. My own assistants played me. I watched that game back many times now, and I can see it all. I remember thinking during that game, that I was getting many decisions wrong, and that thankfully their flags were putting me right. I even thought I needed a holiday. I was many times about to blow my whistle for offside, but looking up, the flag was down or the other way round. I was relieved to have other people with me, who were saving my backside. It turns out; it was not that way at all”
Today is former referee Javier Collado who speaks out. The game was a Colon vs Racing he officiated.
He said this a while ago, while he was still active, and never retracted his accusations.
He was due a contract renovation, normally a formality for football referees. He did not get one. Age wise had 2 years left according to the rules. But he was told, there was going to be a restructuration and he was not part of it.
The person telling him was the vice president of the referees committee and former international whistle Francisco Lamolina. When he asked further, he was told that they did not need to give him any explanations and that the decision was made by the President of the Referees Committee, Julio Humberto Grondona. Yes the same Grondona who presides the AFA, and the Discipline tribunal. Is there any decision in Argentinean football that is not made by him?
“I have even seen two teams losing in purpose to get their managers sacked. That is scandalous. How do they live with their actions? The managers may soon be gone, but the real football people will know why the Managers are not there anymore”
This last part he said it about Colon players when they allegedly wanted Falcioni out, and Independiente players when they according to him did not want Santoro as their interim boss.
He said it when they were still on their roles. A few weeks later they were fired for bad results.
“I never said that match fixing is something in the core of the game in this country. I have only mentioned that game where my assistant was paid to influence the result. In 12 years in the profession, I mentioned one case. I thought that by mentioning it, they were going to investigate and action the issue to right the wrongs. But instead, my contract was not renewed”
He also distanced himself from what Javier Ruiz said “it is not my story. It is his. I told my story”
“Do you know how many times money has changed hands before the beginning of a game, just because the referee hugged somebody, and someone else watching thought, that is it, that is the signal, the referee is on our side? Worse is we most times hugged people as we arrive at a ground, as an affectionate thing. People were not hugging us for respect. They were trying to send a signal to someone else that the referee was bought, And we, knew nothing about it”
That is from another retired referee. One that caused a few controversial moments, His name is Daniel Gimenez.
He was the referee of 2 of the most shambolic games of recent times. But he claims to have done the right thing in both, and refutes all claims of bribery or being part of match fixing.
One of the games was San Martin de San Juan against Huracan in 2007. He was in charge of the second leg of the play offs between them that would decide which of them will be promoted to the top flight, and which one will have to go through another play off to try again.
The first leg ended in a 1-0 home victory to Huracan. So it was all to play for.
San Martin took the lead through a controversial penalty for handball. A few minutes later a much clearer handball inside the other penalty box was not given.
Huracan equalises and the party was getting spoilt.
When the second leg gets to the 89th minute San Martin de San Juan score to make it 2-1 to them. For that goal Gimenez gave a free kick to San Martin, close to Huracan’s penalty box. It was not a foul, but it was given. From the resulting free kick San Martin scored to make it 2-1. The away goal was still sending Huracan to the Primera Division.
It was then that Gimenez, a former Sergeant in the Argentinean armed forces, signals to the 4th official that there will be 8 minutes of injury time to be added on.
Inside the 1st minute of added time, San Martin scored to make it 3-1, pitch invasion to celebrate, game over before the 8 minutes, San Martin promoted, Huracan needing to play Godoy Cruz for another chance to go up.
“Before that game began, a guy came to my dressing room and from under his jacket he got a San Martin’s t-shirt. He started telling me how greatful he would feel if I accepted it, and how good I will feel in the future, looking back at today’s game.
It sounded all too suspicious, so I asked for their president to came in and explain himself to me. He came in, said he knew nothing about this, apologised and removed this individual from the area. I knew what the guy was trying to do. He was throwing me some bait. If I took that strip, it meant I was with San Martin. I said to the president. Your team will win, lose or draw according to how they perform on the pitch. I am not having any influence on the score line here”
But he added “The Huracan players were wasting time, getting injuries, falling over, etc. I kept telling them. Not a problem. You need treatment it is fine by me, I m not a doctor. But I am a referee, and any second that you are down and getting treated, I will add back on”
“Then one of the defenders brings down a San Martin player. But it was 30 metres out. A referee can’t be blamed for that. Then Brusco takes the free kick, very low, the wall jumped, the ball went under them and it went in”
We have put the clip of that moment for you to make your own conclusions (ninth clip from the top of Clips page). The replay of the goals starts at the 2.38 minutes of the clip. If Gimenez’ account in correct, then he acted rightly.
We have watched the full game many times. We believe that there was no need to add that many minutes on that game and that there was no foul against the San Martin player either, and very clearly was much closer than the 30 metres Gimenez recalls.
What Javier Ruiz told us yesterday came to mind “You favour teams, exploiting their strengths.”
Brusco is a renowned free kick taker, San Martin got the free kick in a position that was favourable to him.
That is not to say; at this stage that he did it in purpose. Just that from our point of view his recollection of events is not very clear.
That was Gimenez’ last ever game. He retired from officiating voluntarily, even if he was still contracted by AFA to referee.
“I wanted to retire. At that stage of my career I remember hating preparing my bag, going to the Airport, staying in hotels, all that. It was time to finish it. There are people out there like the President of Quilmes, who will tell you that I was corrupt and retired because of it. He hated me. He could not understand how all referees were intimidated by his presence and I was not”
Tomorrow’s chapter will take us to the second controversial game that Gimenez officiated. However that game was not at all about him.