The controversy over refereeing in Argentine football has added a new voice from the world of River. Amidst the strong clashes between the leadership of the Millonario and the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Jorge Brito broke the silence and launched harsh criticisms against Federico Beligoy, the national director of refereeing, whom he blamed for the system of assigning referees.
In an interview with eltrece, Brito was emphatic when referring to what he considers one of the main shortcomings of the AFA structure: "If Tapia and the AFA want to create transparent football, I think the first thing they need to do is change this guy, Federico Beligoy, who acknowledges and says that the only way to manage refereeing is by handpicking, that's what he told me ten years ago".
He also expressed his concern about the distrust surrounding refereeing decisions and the impact that generates on the competition. "I believe we have fallen into the worst thing that can happen to a sport, to believe that everything is rigged and that it is not real. And that it is already managed before the match starts. And I think that is very serious", he stated.
However, the former official avoided directly blaming the unpresentable Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia for the decisions made regarding refereeing and differentiated the functions of the AFA president from Beligoy's responsibilities. "I have no evidence that Tapia directly manages this. What I do know is that the methodology for selecting referees is chosen by Beligoy", he clarified.
Brito's statements came after questions that had previously been raised by Stéfano Di Carlo and Rodolfo D’Onofrio. In the case of the current head of the Núñez team, he publicly expressed River's dissatisfaction with the refereeing and, after the Superclásico, specifically questioned the performance of Nicolás Ramírez, whom the club does not want to have as a referee in their matches again.
