Luis Edu
Juan Román Riquelme is at the center of the current controversy in South American soccer, for alleged gifts he would give to the referees who officiated the Copa Libertadores match between Always Ready and Boca Juniors on Wednesday, May 4.
Hours after the match, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Boca Juniors, the Bolivian team leaked a video from the dressing room showing the shirts that Riquelme had allegedly given to the Peruvian referee, Kevin Ortega, and the rest of the group of referees who were responsible for dispensing justice in the match played at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz at more than 3,500 meters above sea level.
In the images, you can see the alleged gifts that Riquelme as vice-president of Boca Juniors gave to the referees.
“Juan Roman Riquelme went to the referees’ locker room and handed over four bags with the Boca logo. When we checked them, two of them were empty and the other two had little gifts from him,” stated Oscar Barrenechea, vice-president of marketing for Always Ready.
What set off the alarms within the Bolivian team about an irregularity was a highly disputed penalty called by referee Kevin Ortega, which Eduardo Salvio converted into the winning goal for Boca in the 37th minute of the first half.
The powerful Argentine club came into this game desperate for an away win to keep them in the race for a place in the next round. This situation contributes to the theories of many fans about an alleged illegal act by Román.
Situation of Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores 2022
After 4 games played in the most important club tournament in South American soccer, Boca Juniors is in second place in Group E with 6 points. They are only one point behind first place Corinthians, and at the same time two points behind last place Always Ready.
The Argentine team will play the last two dates of the Copa Libertadores group stage at La Bombonera. First, it will host Corinthians on May 17, and then will face Rafael Dudamel’s Deportivo Cali on May 26.
