Claudia Umpierrez retired from refereeing after two decades of career. The 40-year-old referee, an international since 2010, recovered from a cruciate ligament injury and was ready to referee again, but she was not invited to the pre-season like the rest of her colleagues and interpreted the message: they did not want her anymore. In fact, she was ignored in the last year and a half. Today, 14 years after her international debut, Umpierrez wrote a letter on her Instagram account explaining her reasons and regretting that she was “not given the opportunity to retire on the field despite having trained hard to return. I do not feel respected as a professional or even as a person and I have stopped feeling part of this group, of which I knew how to feel proud some time ago," added Umpierrez, who was removed in March 2021 from the Women's Copa Libertadores due to a complaint that, months later, was dismissed by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF).
The December 2020 elections in the Uruguayan Association of Football Referees (AUDAF) marked a break. Umpierrez lost by five votes to Yimmy Alvarez and by 2021 almost all those referees who made up the group opposing the current leadership were demoted. “The last three years have been hard, full of sad moments, personal and professional, but they have also been full of personal growth and professional development in other areas of my life. Today I decide to prioritize myself and continue in the places that make me happy, where I feel that I can progress and grow and, above all, where I can do that in a climate of respect and camaraderie”, she added. “That is why I have decided to step aside, put an end to my career, because I am no longer happy being part of the refereeing world and this is my limit. The events that have occurred in recent years have been demotivating for me and for many others who do not dare to say anything and choose to remain silent. I am aware of where I want to be, and that side of life today does not coincide with that of the current authorities of the AUF and the Referees Committee. It is no longer worth fighting for things that the refereeing group has resigned, accepted, and tolerated as normal. Incapacity, lack of work, and promotions not obtained on their own merits have been normalized. All of this is very far from the reality of the professionalism that I have always aspired to for refereeing in my country", she added, wishing good luck to her teammates "who are not part of the club of friends", as well as reminding others that "being indifferent in the face of injustices and staying silent makes them one of them”.
Source: Futbol.uy