Argentinian referee Nestor Pitana, who worked the 2018 World Cup final, will start in politics after his participation at Copa America in Brazil. The 44-year-old Pitana will run for federal deputy in October's general elections in Argentina, a source close to the referee told The Associated Press. The source asked not to be named because the announcement is yet to be made.
Pitana refereed the World Cup final won by France and also the opening match of Copa America last week, ending in a 3-0 win of Brazil against Bolivia. The referee will be among the candidates running for office in a local party of his province of Misiones, 620 miles (about 1,000 kilometers) northeast of Buenos Aires. Pitana's party is in control of the local government. Argentinians will go to the polls on 27 October 2019 to vote for president, governors and Congress. Another Argentinian referee that worked in a World Cup, Hector Baldassi, currently holds the office of federal deputy.
