Byron Moreno stirkes again...

[Quaker]

Originally posted by Alberto
I think it's appropriate to reserve judgement until the facts have been presented. You're jumping to a lot of conclusions and if you think that FIFA runs a clean house you know very little about the selection process of referees or the members of that body.

I'm not passing full judgment quite yet, but the facts presented so far do appear to shed very poor light on Mr. Moreno--so much so that the Ecuadorean soccer confederation has imposed a ban of a minimum of 20 weeks. Admittedly, I haven't seen the match in question, but even the Ecuadoreans who defended Mr. Moreno so vehemently during the World Cup have very strongly denounced his handling of this one.

And no, I don't have any illusions that FIFA runs a clean house.

[BrianCappellieri]

SoccerNet (http://www.soccernet.com/global/news/2002/0913/20020913ecuadormoreno.html)FIFA investigate controversial Ecuadorian referee

FIFA have launched an investigation into controversial referee Byron Moreno after his decisions again made the headlines.

'As a result of a number of controversies regarding referee Byron Moreno (Ecuador) in Japan, Italy and South America over the past few months, FIFA has decided to launch an investigation into the affair,' FIFA said in a statement.

[Playable Back]

Didn't he pick up a suitcase full of cash in Miami after the Korea-Italy match?

[Alberto]

Originally posted by BrianCappellieri
SoccerNet (http://www.soccernet.com/global/news/2002/0913/20020913ecuadormoreno.html)

This is a very positive step forward.

[paulocesar]

Like I said before in another similiar post..."what goes around, comes around"...

...and yet another reason to luv Italians...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/2253473.stm

[cachundo]

The expressive Italians say: "Moreno STINKS." LOL.

[El_Maestro]

Ok people, here's the deal.

First of all, I'm Ecuadorian and a Guayaquil Barcelona fan (the team that lost the 103 minutes match), so some of you might say I'm biased, but anyway, I'll tell you the things the way I see them.

After the Italy fiasco in the WC, and all the Italians started acussing Moreno of corruption, I didn't believe it, in fact what I thought was what I've always have, that he is just a bad referee, he's terrible, period. Not corrupt, not a criminal, just bad.

Besides, he's that kind of ref that loves to be the star and the center of atention. Some people called him "El Justiciero", something like the Avenger, because he was supposed to be very strict. For me, he was just a clown.

Now this happens, and I start to wonder, did he dare to extend a game just for political gain? Well, when you talk about Ecuadorian politics anything's posible, we've had 5 presidents the last six years (two coups included), the last two Treasury Secretaries are justice fugitives and the current President is a moron, so, who knows? to tell you the truth, it is very likely.

I mean, here's the scenario, Quito's most popular team is losing an important game at home against probably its most hated rival from its most hated city. Moreno is a candidate for Quito's (the Capital of Ecuador) city council. Guayaquil (Barcelona's town) is the country's largest and richest city (industry, commerce, etc.). It doesn't help that Ecuador is a terribly divided country, it's like two countries in one.

Now, did Moreno want to be held accountable for a defeat that could have probably cost him thousands of votes? I don't think so. Did he conciously extend the game for 13 minutes so the team that was losing could have a chance to win? I know it's difficult to believe, but I do think so.

Whatever happens, I think he is pretty much F'd up. Tough luck Byron.

[monop_poly]

Originally posted by El_Maestro
Ok people, here's the deal.

First of all, I'm Ecuadorian and a Guayaquil Barcelona fan (the team that lost the 103 minutes match), so some of you might say I'm biased, but anyway, I'll tell you the things the way I see them.

After the Italy fiasco in the WC, and all the Italians started acussing Moreno of corruption, I didn't believe it, in fact what I thought was what I've always have, that he is just a bad referee, he's terrible, period. Not corrupt, not a criminal, just bad.

Besides, he's that kind of ref that loves to be the star and the center of atention. Some people called him "El Justiciero", something like the Avenger, because he was supposed to be very strict. For me, he was just a clown.

Now this happens, and I start to wonder, did he dare to extend a game just for political gain? Well, when you talk about Ecuadorian politics anything's posible, we've had 5 presidents the last six years (two coups included), the last two Treasury Secretaries are justice fugitives and the current President is a moron, so, who knows? to tell you the truth, it is very likely.

I mean, here's the scenario, Quito's most popular team is losing an important game at home against probably its most hated rival from its most hated city. Moreno is a candidate for Quito's (the Capital of Ecuador) city council. Guayaquil (Barcelona's town) is the country's largest and richest city (industry, commerce, etc.). It doesn't help that Ecuador is a terribly divided country, it's like two countries in one.

Now, did Moreno want to be held accountable for a defeat that could have probably cost him thousands of votes? I don't think so. Did he conciously extend the game for 13 minutes so the team that was losing could have a chance to win? I know it's difficult to believe, but I do think so.

Whatever happens, I think he is pretty much F'd up. Tough luck Byron.

Great post! Only in a wired world can you read about an unusual soccer match in Ecuador and then get a post from someone in Ecuador with the inside angle. Welcome to the 21st century.

Don't feel too bad about Ecuadorian politics. Here we have businessmen with absolutely no shame fleecing the shareholders of some of the world's biggest companies right under the noses of the Board of Directors. See Dennis Kozlowski.