No one is a prophet in his own land, says an old saying. The three-time World Cup referee Melissa Borjas Pastrana (36) lives it and suffers it firsthand. The Honduran referee has just refereed her third Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand where she participated until the semi-final stage as the fourth official in the match between Sweden and Spain. Her objective was to reach the final, to set the record of being the only referee in the world to have a final in all categories on her resume. Borjas Pastrana was disappointed because the final could not be given to her and even hinted that she deserved to be in the final game between Spain and England, but factors that were far from her control prevented her appointment, so inexplicably she was not named. She went to the World Cup thanks to Concacaf, which gave her support by getting her international matches so that she could remain active. In Honduras she was marginalized by the Referees Committee that did not allow her to participate in any competition, a situation that has her thinking about asking for an opportunity in some another foreign country that values her work and welcomes her services.
- Melissa, you reached the semi-final stage, what does that mean?
- The truth is that in France, at the 2019 World Cup, I reached the same stage, but our objective for this one was to overcome it; from the moment we arrived in Sydney the objective was to be in the semi-final as referee and why not dream of that long-awaited final. In the end, they are decisions of the authorities, but it is still of great value for us to be among the best referees in the world, that fills us with pride.
- What was the most difficult game you had to referee at this World Cup?
- The Round of 16 match between England and Nigeria, which we knew it was going to be a physical game with many fouls. The match happened as we expected it with Shirley Perello and the other assistant Sandra Ramirez from Mexico. It was a match with a lot of physical contact, but it did not go as far as a war, so we allowed it to flow, and it had to go to penalty kicks to decide England as the winner. Two decisions were made with VAR, that added something extra to the game, but it's good that we decided well; there was no impact on the match. It was the first time that I was in that situation of extra time and penalties. In addition to physical exhaustion, we had mental exhaustion. It is interesting that we exceeded the expectations that the authorities had regarding my performance at the 2019 World Cup in France; it is important that there is growth.
-You almost reached the record of being the only referee in the world to whistle a final in all categories...
- Yes, refereeing a World Cup final is the only thing I would need. My career has been blessed. I am the result of a well-run process, I started it with Amílcar Burgos back in 2011, then I worked with Gerardo Mejía and later with my uncle Carlos Pastrana who taught me to have this World Cup thinking, not to settle and aim for my international participation. Ridiculously, in my career I prefer the international competitions rather than the local.
- Are you amongst the best referees in the world?
- Yes, I put myself there, because only the best stay in the final stage of the World Cup. There are situations that are out of our hands, controlled or managed by the authorities at the FIFA level. There are other things internally that have nothing to do with what is done on the field, but that doesn't make me any less than the others who were there.
- Are you saying that you could have been in the final of this World Cup?
- Of course, I considered myself a candidate. I had merits, game after game, what the authorities asked for was done, game after game, what they wanted to see on the field was done. There was gratitude and words of pride for my work done. I am filled with pride. I may sound arrogant, but everything I have won in my career I have achieved with my own merits, with a lot of effort and the support of my family.
- It is atypical that your career is being more valued abroad. How do you feel experiencing this?
- Like any person, in any field, there is obviously frustration, there is no motivation, there are days when I said: it's not worth it, why go to train, why put in so much effort, things are not going to change. But it is precisely on those days where family, close friends and colleagues appear. I cannot stop thanking and recognizing the great support that Concacaf gave me six months before the World Cup. Concacaf was worried about my situation, I was not having matches and unfortunately injuries were haunting me; thanks to the work of the doctor and the physiotherapist we were able to move forward. Sometimes, I even suffered from mental exhaustion because I felt that I was not working, that my knowledge was not being put into practice. The lack of matches was a problem, I had no rhythm, and the physical part is important to not be surprised during the game. I asked Concacaf to take me out of Honduras because I was only training here, so they started getting me third division matches in the United States. I have no way of repaying the support of the Concacaf women's refereeing coordinator. I went to the Gold Cup as a VAR and Concacaf gave me matches, so that FIFA could be informed accordingly, because it was of no use for me to be at the Gold Cup as VAR if I was going to the World Cup as a referee on the field. Concacaf made the decision to take us, along with my assistant Shirley Perello, and gave us priority in the United States. The only way to thank and pay for it was with my work in the World Cup. I am proud because that was achieved, I demonstrated excellence on the field, and I am sure that is the report that Concacaf received from FIFA.
- Is it true that you were so devastated by the poor treatment in Honduras that you needed a psychologist?
- Yes, I felt devastated, exhausted, lacking motivation and my internal strength ran out, I was drawing strength from weakness where there was no longer any, I had to find a solution. I even chose to seek professional help, from a sports-oriented psychologist who I paid for as well as I paid to recover from the injuries. The psychologist helped me a lot, especially to get out of the bubble of what Honduras represented and focus directly on Melissa, the referee for the World Cup, that helped me a lot.
- Many can’t imagine what is behind your success...
- This is completely unknown to the Referees Committee and the technical department. When someone ask them about me, they only say that I am injured or that I am in a Concacaf tournament, but they do not know absolutely what is behind each preparation, each problem. Sometimes, the mistake is made of saying that we are in refereeing only for money and that is not the case; money is a motivation, a reward for effort, but there is also the pride, the reputation that Honduras is recognized for being represented in a World Cup, not because of a National Team, but because of a referee, because of Melissa Borjas Pastrana. It's nice to be recognized, to be an ambassador and to be able to give my country a name in something positive; money doesn't give you that.
- Has Concacaf ever complained to the Honduran Federation about the poor treatment from the Referees Committee?
- I couldn't say that for sure; there is communication between the two organizations and there is even monitoring by FIFA, supervision of the elite referees. When referees are selected for the FIFA Women's World Cup, they send a letter to the Federation, highlighting that the selection has been made based on their performance, but requests that it is very important that the federation, through the Referees Committee, gives them all their support. I have an advisor who follows my games and sends a report to Concacaf and FIFA. Before the World Cup my last game was a second division match in April, prior to that game my first division match between Olimpia and Marathon had been in March. Since then, there was no other report for Concacaf or FIFA and the question was why Melissa isn't refereeing. I tried to find the logic, a clue, a meaning, or an answer to the “why” but I could not find it.
- Have you wondered why you are a star referee for FIFA and Concacaf, while for the Honduran Referees Committee you do not exist?
- It was always instilled in me that things must be earned on the field; they were informed of the support that must be given to the World Cup candidates. I am aware that I did not complete the fitness test requirement that the Referees Committee requires to referee in the first division, which is the men's fitness test, but why then am I not considered for the Promotion League? I have done my World Cup and Concacaf tests, which are six fitness tests compared to the two that my colleagues do to referee the local Apertura and Clausura tournament. Well, here the situation is not about whether there is capacity or not and not about physical performance, because that has been proven.
- Do you feel persecuted, marginalized, a victim of hatred or envy?
- I cannot feel persecuted because, since I have not refereed any matches here, I cannot say that I am punished for poor performance. Hatred, I don't know. I don't know the hearts of the members of the Referees Committee, but yes, I feel discriminated against, yes I feel excluded, at least for not participating in the Promotion League. If it hadn't been for Concacaf that gave me matches in the United States to prepare for the World Cup, I would have gone elsewhere.
- Has it crossed your mind to leave and look for an opportunity in another country?
- I have been fortunate that my work is recognized in other countries. Yes, I have thought about leaving everything, it has crossed my mind to throw everything in the trash and say no more. It is not worth so much sacrifice, it is not worth losing, above all, peace of mind. But I also think that if what these people want is to eliminate me from refereeing, so why give them pleasure? Everything I have, everything I have earned in my career has been at the expense of no one. My work is valued in the United States and other countries; speaking a second language opens doors for me. Fortunately, there are people who recognize our efforts and work in other countries, there are many opportunities outside: I may be invited to referee a tournament, or a group of referees may ask me to give them a talk.
- No one is a prophet in their land.
- My mother tells me that all the time; she considers that we are the lamp of the street and the darkness of the house.
- Have you discussed this issue with the Referees Committee?
- I am not anyone's enemy, but they have every right to make the decisions they believe are best. There has been no approach from them or from me; when there was, it was a no as answer. When we met, it was to talk more about the same thing, the situation remained the same, so in the end I chose not to look for explanations or answers since I was losing my peace.
- Does the Referees Committee have arguments for not taking you into account?
- The argument they make is that I did not pass the men’s fitness test; that is what they have always said. Other times, they say that I am injured, sometimes it is contradictory that they say that I am injured, and it turns out that I am refereeing at a Concacaf tournament. There is unfair competition, there is envy, there is machismo, there is tripping, they want to achieve things by misinforming and telling lies.
- Have you already lost hope of refereeing again in the Professional League?
- I have chosen not to worry, I returned from the World Cup and immediately felt that it was time to spend with my family, to separate myself from refereeing completely, I came from three months away from home, so I decided to do other things to breathe and recharge my batteries. After the World Cup, I did the fitness test with Shirley in Australia to renew my FIFA badge. If I get games, it will be from October, that’s why I don’t neglect my physical appearance, so I’m working on my own.
- What is it like to live in that environment?
- I have learned over the years to develop a shell, so I can live in Honduras: I train alone, I have my own physical trainer, I do not interact with first division referees to avoid problems and get away from that toxicity. It reached a point where the environment became toxic because there was no fair competition or consistent evaluations; some referees are evaluated in one way and others in another. There is no defined line that must be followed, there is a lack of many things, but many times one goes wrong for saying that, not everyone can stand opinions, that is why I have chosen not to worry.
- If the Referees Committee asks you to do the fitness test to referee in the first division, will you do it?
- Well, I don't have any problems, but they should give me a little time.
