During Monday night’s Copa America group stage match between the USMNT and Uruguay, referee Kevin Ortega was heavily criticized for his performance as he missed several calls, failed to successfully control the game in several key moments, and even refused to shake the hand of USMNT captain Christian Pulisic after the match. And it turns out, this is not the first time that he has faced controversy.
As Marca pointed out after the match, the referee actually faced another scandal back in 2022 when he accepted gifts from one of the teams before a match he officiated which also included a match-deciding penalty kick.
“For those who thought this was just a one-off bad night for Ortega, think again. According to AS Diario, Ortega was embroiled in controversy back in 2022 during a Copa Libertadores match. He awarded a match-winning penalty to Boca Juniors, a decision that raised eyebrows when it was later revealed he had accepted gifts from the Argentine club before the game. Boca’s director Jorge Bermúdez brushed off the incident as a mere “gesture of courtesy,” but the damage was done. Trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild,” Marca reported.
Needless to say, it sounds like the referee has an unfortunate track record of controversy.
[Marca]
