The baseball authorities in Cuba announced this Monday that a commission will investigate the most recent scandal that shook this sport on the island, due to the use of the false name of a referee during a match of the current National Series between the teams of Pinar del River and Matanzas.
Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, national commissioner, confirmed to the specialized press that the event, initially assessed as false by the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) – which he also presides – did occur, so the commission’s task will be to determine the responsible, reports the sports portal Hit.
In the aforementioned game, a list with the acting referees was announced over the local amplification, and the press was provided to the media, in which the name of Ricardo Campanioni, who had been suspended for two games for a notable error of judgment, was replaced. in a previous game.
A ghost referee in the 63rd National Series: chronology of a scandal
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“He was unable to play for two games and he did play on Saturday and Sunday, as it appears in the box score and the official score sheet of the two games,” Pérez Pardo explained to the press.
The manager pointed out that the purpose is “to get to the bottom of the issue and find out who carried out this action, which detracts from our baseball.”
Beforehand, Pérez Pardo had cleared any baseball director – game commissioners or referees – present at the crash of responsibility, which caused greater confusion among the island’s fans.
The issue has generated a wide debate among followers and specialists, some of the latter initially pointed out by the FCB through its account on answers to what happened.
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Then, the FCB reversed course and in the same way announced that it was “listening to contrary opinions” to those initially expressed by the institution and “adding elements” regarding what happened.
So far, he has not offered a public apology to those accused nor has he acknowledged that it was a hasty assessment of the facts.
Refereeing and discipline at the target
Although it is a recurring problem in Cuban baseball, the questionable performance of the Cuban referees and the reaction of the fans to this circumstance has taken a level rarely seen.
Campanioni himself needed police protection when leaving the Captain San Luis stadium in Pinar del Río, after the mistake that cost him the sanction. This weekend another referee was attacked by the players of the Cienfuegos team, after a controversial play that cost them the defeat against the host Camagüey.
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Regarding the recent incident, Pérez Pardo announced that six players and a manager of the southern team were expelled and suspended for one game for their involvement in the violent altercation.
These are the team manager, Jorge Rodríguez, and the players Richel López, Félix Rodríguez, Luis Vicente Mateo, Luis Serpa, Dany Oramas, Samuel Calderón.
The Federation clarified that after the pertinent analysis, the disciplinary measures for them may be greater and that they will be announced soon.
