A Mexican referee has been dismissed from his role after failing to show up for a match, amid reports that he had sustained injuries after being assaulted by a sex worker he had hired.
Referee Rosario Guadalupe Cardenas had been appointed to serve as the fourth official in a match between Monterrey and Tigres in the Apertura Tournament on 19 October.
Mexico’s refereeing commission announced on the day of the match that Cardenas had been replaced due to a ‘medical reason’.
Cardenas was substituted in the role by Ismael Lopez, with Ximena Marquez Ruíz taking over as the VAR official.
Two days later, the organisation launched an internal investigation, stating it would ‘clarify all the details related to this incident’.
Former Mexican referee Francisco Chacon later revealed that Cardenas, 27, had missed the match due to injuries sustained after being attacked by a sex worker he had hired.
“It turns out that Mr Rosario Cardenas decided to hire a companion one day before the game,” said Chacon, who officiated international matches between 2009 and 2017.
“He took her to his hotel where he was staying, and there he was drugged and assaulted, which is why he did not make it to his game. That was the ‘medical reason’.”
The Mexican refereeing commission confirmed Cardenas’ dismissal on 4 December following the internal investigation.
The organisation did not provide further details about the circumstances but deemed his conduct grounds for dismissal.
‘The Referees Commission reports that it completed a detailed internal investigation, which began on 21 October, to clarify the details related to the incident in which referee Rosario Guadalupe Cárdenas was involved on 19 October, prior to day 12 of the 2024 Apertura Tournament,’ read a statement.
‘In order to guarantee transparency and compliance with the corresponding protocols, this Commission informs that, as a result of the investigation, it has decided to terminate the contract of the cited arbitrator for non-compliance with the Arbitration Rules.’
Mexican newspaper Record reported that the official had been found to have violated the ‘ethical and professional values’ of the Mexican Football Federation, with a source stating that an investigation is ongoing into reports that Cardenas was assaulted by a sex worker.
“We were informed that this matter went through the FMF’s legal department, which violated the internal regulations and the ethical and professional values of the FMF,” a source told the newspaper.
“I know that there is a legal issue going on, which is being processed, to determine whether or not that was the case with the referee.
“But beyond that, Rosario was informed internally that for the organisation and the FMF itself, the referee did not fulfil his responsibility due to indiscipline, and that determined that they thank him.”
