Paraguayan commentator Jorge “Chipi” Vera raged against Gianni Infantino in the match between Paraguay and Turkey.
It was not liked.
Now Fifa has withdrawn his accreditation to the championship.
The decision means that Vera will no longer be allowed to cover this year’s world championships.
“We believe that a permanent revocation of an ID for the entire duration of the tournament constitutes an extreme and clearly disproportionate sanction,” writes the commentator’s employer ABC in a statement.
Hoping for a reconsideration
It was when Almiron was sent off, for covering his mouth, that the cap blew for the Paraguayan commentator. Among other things, he allegedly called referee Ivan Barton a thief and claimed that Fifa, with Infantino at the helm, killed football.
Afterwards, “Chipi” apologized for his behavior in a video on X and must also have sent a letter to Fifa with the same meaning.
– In the midst of frustration over the expulsion of a player from my country, and the feeling that they hurt my national team, I used offensive and unacceptable expressions towards the referee, Fifa and its representatives, he says.
However, the excuse was in vain and Fifa had already made its decision.
“No sanction should set aside a professional career based on an isolated incident that has been acknowledged and addressed. We trust that Fifa will reconsider its decision and let proportionality and dialogue lead us to justice,” ABC writes.
Paraguay won the match against Turkey 1–0 and then followed up the win with a 4–1 loss against the United States. The next match they play is on Friday morning (Swedish time) against Australia.
