Winston Reátegui: “With VAR, the idea is to minimize referee errors and horrors, but it will be progressive”

A couple of days ago, Vallejo presented a document claiming that the decisions of referee Sebastián Lozano harmed his interests in the defeat against Alianza Lima; and last Sunday, Jean Ferrari claimed that he was going to ask for a foreign shortlist after the controversial rulings by Augusto Menéndez, who sent off three cream players in the fall of Universitario in Sullana.

And although the FPF hopes to implement the VAR for the Clausura, and thus avoid future controversies, the referees continue to be in the ‘eye of the storm’. Thus, sport spoke with Winston Reátegui, former FIFA referee, who spoke about the recent claims of the teams and the decisions of the judges in recent matches. Of the same he referred to the arrival of video arbitration to the Peruvian championship.

In these last dates of the Opening, he feels that the claims for controversial decisions by the referees have increased…

What happens is that always in the last dates when they already enter the definition stage, there are always this type of requests, requirements, there is therefore a different temperament than when the tournament just started. Each team has the strict right to request what they see fit. University student, I understand, who has requested that foreign referees come to direct.

When you get to the final stretch, refereeing errors are also more evident…

Of course, what is always dealt with in these instances is to minimize refereeing errors, which there will always be, but basically what is involved is that these refereeing errors, which there will always be, do not affect the result of the match . In Sullana there was the feeling that there was a bad conduct (arbitration) and that this resulted in the overflow of the game, that they have been expelled and that the best decisions are not made. When a referee influences the outcome of a match, it definitely cannot be good refereeing.

The management of the matches is a very key issue, in Sullana it was seen that the referee escaped with five expulsions…

The referee must always maintain the normal flow of the match, he has to have previous work, he has to plan, know the teams, the tactics and the start of the match, the referee has to be prepared for the unexpected. The basic thing is always that the referee has to have consistency in his decisions so that football understands his criteria, that is the most important thing. It is not enough to know the regulations. There are referees who take the written tests and get 20, but you put them on a court and they have a failing grade And vice versa there are referees that you take a written test for and they come out dragged, but you put it on a court and they do well. In Sullana, football did not understand its criteria [del árbitro]there was the feeling that there was a disproportionality in his rulings and that is what powerfully draws attention, even more so if we are talking about an international referee, we are not talking about a novice referee who suddenly rushed in CONAR to give him a hot game, no, we are talking about a referee who has already been in the international category for a few years, has directed classics, has gone out to direct, so these referees are the ones who have to demonstrate their ability, their experience, all that baggage that they must have an international referee. There is that feeling that the flow was not normal in the game and there was a disproportion in the failures.

What do Peruvian referees need to improve, to make that leap in quality?

Like everything in life, arbitration, like football, always has to have conditions; for example, referees must have a good training ground. They must give them all the necessary facilities so that the arbitrators develop their activity. I always say, soccer in Peru is professional, but the referees are not professionals. The referees do not have insurance, if they are injured they pay for their recovery, they do not have a monthly salary, if they get sick, they assume their own expenses; That is why many referees have to have other activities. And like everything, just like soccer teams, there are teams that don’t pay their players for two, three months. I ask, does this team have adequate working conditions? The answer is going to be no, and that they are professional teams, that is what happens. I think it is trying to seize and empower [el arbitraje]I think everything is progressive. Let’s hope this improves, apparently the VAR is coming, which is going to cost yes, people expect this [el VAR] fix everything and it’s not like that. This VAR system is progressive, it is like when a company introduces a system, at the beginning it will be difficult, the workers will not adapt well to the system, they will have problems, but little by little they will improve. The same is going to happen when they bring the VAR, let’s not expect it to be excellent overnight, everything is progressive.

The VAR would be implemented for the Clausura, many people think that its arrival will put an end to the injustices, but the VAR does not guarantee that there will be no errors…

Indeedthe idea is to minimize arbitration errors and that the horrors referees stop being that. If a team has to score a goal, do it validly.

With VAR, more referees will be needed for the matches. Is there a sufficient number of judges to keep up?

[Los árbitros] They have been taking courses at Videna, receiving training. I understand that there is an interesting number of referees immersed in this topic, but everything will be progressive. I don’t know if they are going to start with the nine games, suddenly incorporating little by little in the important games. Let’s wait and see how this VAR issue goes, but that’s how it is, we have to keep moving forward, refereeing is an endurance race, not a speed one.

If VAR is implemented in all nine games, would there be enough referees?

You have to see the number of referees who have been in the training course. Óscar Julián Ruíz has just come to give the course and a lot of emphasis has been placed on this topic. Víctor Hugo Carrillo and Henry Gambetta are working quite hard there, the work they are having is not easy, but the referees must be given the opportunity to perform well in this new VAR task.

Regarding what Jean Ferrari said about bringing a foreign shortlist, is this request really viable?

If possible, yes, it is possible, but the regulations say that the other teams have to accept that, because who is going to assume that expense? To bring a foreign shortlist they have to pay tickets, stays, the remuneration they earn in the Copa Libertadores. In fees for the four referees plus the consultant, because you have to put everyone in, we are talking about approximately $15,000 per game. What team is going to want to assume such a shared expense? Absolutely.

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