Guillermo Velásquez

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Guillermo Velásquez (born January 4, 1934 in Pereira (Colombia) ; † June 26, 2017 in Medellín ) was a Colombian football referee , who was also known by the nickname El Chato (the snub-nosed one). Velásquez took part as a referee three times in the Olympic Games, in the World Cup in 1970 and in the Copa Libertadores games. Before his career as a referee he was a boxer, over the years he is said to have knocked out at least five football players on the field . In a friendly match, Guillermo Velásquez put Pelé off the pitch in 1968 , whereupon, however, the direction of the game was withdrawn from him.

In January 2010 the now 77-year-old Velásquez was planted with a donor kidney. He died in Medellín in June 2017 at the age of 83.

Career as a referee

Guillermo Velásquez directed a professional football game for the first time in 1957. Between 1968 and 1982 he was a referee at games of the Copa Libertadores . He took part in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City , 1972 in Munich and 1976 in Montreal and whistled a total of four games. At the Football World Cup in Mexico in 1970, he was used as a linesman in four games, including the semi-final between Italy and Germany , known as the game of the century . In December 1982 he ended his career as a referee.

Displacement for Pelé

On July 17, 1968, Velásquez chaired a friendly between the Colombian Olympic team and the Brazilian Santos FC , which was then considered one of the best teams in the world. The Colombians wanted to use this game to prepare for the Olympic Games in Mexico . The 50,000 or so spectators at the Estadio Nemesio Camacho in Bogotá wanted to see the then legendary Brazilian player Pelé , who played for FC Santos.

In the early stages of the game, Guillermo Velásquez acknowledged a dubious goal by the Colombian team, and protested Santos FC players surrounded him. A Santos player named Lima was sent off but refused to leave the field. When the police were about to lead him from the square, he tore himself away, ran back to Velásquez and kicked him. This returned the kick with a blow in the pit of the stomach, there was a fight on the field.

The game finally resumed. In the 35th minute, after a missed chance to score, Pelé is said to have insulted Velásquez seriously, who showed him the red card. Pelé, for whom this was the first and only expulsion of his career, seemed puzzled, but left the field. The entire Santos team, including the substitutes and officials, surrounded Velásquez and talked to him. The referee later reported that he had been beaten several times in this situation. The audience who wanted to see Pelé play also whistled Velásquez.

After about half an hour the game was still paused. Now the leadership of the Colombian Football Association decided that instead of Velásquez, the previous linesman Ómar Delgado should lead the game, and Pelé was allowed to continue playing. FC Santos finally won the game 2-4.

With the help of Lisandro Martínez Zúñiga, a Supreme Court judge, Velásquez filed criminal charges against the FC Santos team. They had to report to a police station and were held there for at least one night until the incident was resolved. After promising Velásquez 18,000 pesos and apologizing in writing to him, the Brazilians were released.

After his retirement, Velásquez tried to talk to Pelé. The meeting took place in Miami, where Pele invited him to dinner.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Guillermo Velásquez. Ex-árbitro Colombiano. In: Terceiro Tempo. Retrieved May 24, 2018 (Spanish).
  2. ↑ a b Fallece árbitro Guillermo Velasquez, famoso por expulsar a Pelé. In: diariolibre.com. June 26, 2017, Retrieved May 24, 2018 (Spanish).
  3. ↑ www.terra.com: Velásquez, arbitro que expulsó a Pelé, se recupera de trasplante
  4. ↑ World Referee: Palmarès for Guillermo Velasquez
  5. ↑ weltfussball.de: 1970 World Cup in Mexico - assignments as an assistant
  6. ↑ a b Alberto Salcedo Ramos: El árbitro que expulsó a Pelé
  7. ↑ Guillermo Ruiz Bonilla: La noche que el "Chato" expulsó a Pelé ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / futbol.al-dia.info
  8. ^ Alberto Salcedo Ramos: El árbitro que expulsó a Pelé . ECOS de España y Latinoamérica , June 2006, pp. 44-48
personal data
SURNAME Velásquez, Guillermo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES El Chato
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Colombian football referee
DATE OF BIRTH January 4, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Pereira (Colombia)
DATE OF DEATH June 26, 2017
Place of death Medellin