The Chilean referee recently surprised with a particular customization of his yellow card, which was shown nine times. Personalization of sportswear is not something new. Some cases are marked by the search for a unique design on the captain’s bag, or on the goalkeeper’s shirt, as Felipe Nunez did a few years ago with his tribute to Gustavo Cerati. Others are looking for more subtle alternatives, like the picture of the kids on the shin guards, or the embroidered name on the football boots. In the same way, referee Piero Maza wanted to leave his mark in refereeing. The referee of the match between Universidad Catolica and Coquimbo Unido, which ended in a narrow 2-1 victory for the Crusaders, surprised with a peculiar object. When cautioning the players with the yellow card, the image of the referee himself could be seen along with his printed name.
It’s not the first curious situation that Piero Maza has had on the pitch. One of the most memorable situations happened in 2016, when he was in charge of the game between Union La Calera and Palestino at the Lucio Farina stadium in Quilloa. On this occasion, Maza had to suspend the match for a few minutes because the spectators had thrown an empanada like a projectile on the ground, the referee picked up the food and handed it to the fourth referee. After having refereed the Finalissima between Argentina and Italy last year, Mazza appeared in international tournaments using a golden whistle.
Piero Maza was one of the referees who, at the time, was sacked by Javier Castrilli when the Argentine was in charge of the ANFP’s Referees Committee. Amid the investigation into accusations that Francisco Gilabert was pressured to cancel a penalty kick midway through the promotion match between Huachipato and Deportes Copiapo, Castrilli was fired and Maza, along with other dismissed referees, returned to their duties. However, Castrilli continues to be up to date with what’s happening in the Chilean football and, in fact, took to his Twitter account to question one of Maza’s decisions in the latest duel between UC and Coquimbo. The play in question was Diego Sanchez’s foul against Fernando Zampedri in the 65th minute of the match. “Incredible that this action, after also being reviewed by the VAR, is interpreted as reckless and not as seriously endangering the physical integrity of the opponent… it’s a “brutal foul” … it should have been an expulsion… “, explained Castrilli on the social network. Then, in another message, he continued that “the permissiveness of the referee harms the game because he does not protect the players… from that moment Coquimbo played with one more player “.
Source: Athletistic
