It happened on Friday, 19 November 2021, eight days before the final of the CONMEBOL Libertadores. On one side was Nestor Pitana, the referee who had been appointed to the Libertadores final between Flamengo and Palmeiras in Montevideo. On the other side Federico Beligoy, National Director of Refereeing in Argentina, and a witness summoned by the director of referee instruction.
Beligoy said “Nestor, everything has its expiration date. You are going to stop being an international referee because of your age.” Pitana responded "I don't understand, Federico." (Patricio) Loustau and (Mauro) Vigliano are 46 years old, like me, and will continue refereeing internationally.” The conversation back and forth between Pitana, the referee of the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, and Beligoy had a moment of tension. From the high spheres of the AFA, Pitana was stripped of his international badge, but they generated a conflict with CONMEBOL and FIFA, who still consider him one of the best referees in the world. The news surprised the international organisations, both in Paraguay and Switzerland. And they seemed to be unaware of the AFA's decision because Pitana is the first name on the list of referees presented by CONMEBOL. The decision is important for the technical and physical training that international referees from all over South America have to undergo during the first days of January in Asuncion.
"What they did with Pitana is discriminatory and has a union component," said Guillermo Marconi, general secretary of SADRA (the Referees Union of Argentina). “What they told him about his age is a lie. Why were Loustau and Vigliano ratified, if they are the same age? They separate him because he belongs to SADRA, as they did with so many other referees in our union”, emphasized Marconi, in dialogue with Clarin. And he added: “The other day, after the final in Uruguay, (Claudio) Tapia hugged him. It was the bear hug! He embraces him and then downgrades him”. Vigliano will continue to be on the FIFA List, but only as VAR. Loustau, on the other hand, will continue as a referee. Instead of Pitana, Pablo Echavarria (39 years old), who had left SADRA due to the union conflict with the AFA, would be promoted, and Vigliano will be replaced by Yael Perez (32), a young referee who is well regarded by the AFA leadership. The list of international referees will be made official on 3 January 2022. The other names are: Fernando Echenique, Nicolas Lamolina, Fernando Espinoza, Andres Merlos, Fernando Rapallini, Facundo Tello and Dario Herrera. However, there is a precedent that excites Pitana, along with the support of CONMEBOL: Pericles Cortez was appointed VAR of Junior-Libertad, for Copa Sudamericana, although he was no longer an international referee for the CBF. The referee of that match was his compatriot Wilton Sampaio.
Source: noticiasdel6.com