Political Ref | July 6, 2026 | Permalink

The VAR ref that ordered the still shot review of Balogun making contact with the opposition's ankle became a referee in Venezuela in the early 2000s.

As The Athletic (NY Times) documented, Chavez had profound, politically driven influence over the Venezuelan Football Federation. The VAR referee that flagged Balogun for a still shot review, a violation of VAR protocol that resulted in a red card, became a ref in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. His name is Juan Ernesto Soto Arévalo.

While one can't verify loyalty to Chavez and Maduro, it is reasonable to assume that the referee was acceptable to Chavez. If he was acceptable to Chavez, it remains a strong possibility that he was fond of the Chavez/Maduro regime. Maduro was humiliated by Trump, being swept from power in a single night.

While unproven at this point, it's reasonable to look into this ref's possible bias against the US because of the alleged Chavez/Maduro links.