Scandal ref
Profile of Byron Moreno
charts the rise and sensational
downfall of the Ecuadorian official
JOSH BLAND
In the arena of refereeing, few names are as stigmatized as that of Ecuadorianborn official Byron Moreno. Moreno is a name associated with greed, corruption, politics and scandal – but the story of the man from Quito is not as widely known as it should be in Europe (unless of course, you happen to be Italian, but more of that later).
It would appear that Moreno enjoyed a relatively uneventful and successful beginning to his refereeing career, starting from the bottom in his native Ecuador, before quickly rising up the ranks to become a top flight official in his early 20’s. However, it would not be long before he got his big break on the international stage.
Moreno was hand-picked by FIFA to officiate in the 2002 World Cup, one of many relatively young and inexperienced referees to be chosen to officiate in the tournament as part of a drive by organizers to make the refereeing community more diverse. But while FIFA’s ethics may have been sound, the stage was set for the true colours of Byron Moreno to be exposed for the first time in what would turn out to be one of the most memorable referring scandals in recent years.
After successfully navigating a group match between USA and Portugal, Moreno was put in charge of the Round of 16 clash between hosts South Korea and pre-tournament favourites Italy. Although the fixture appeared to be a foregone conclusion on paper, Korea managed to pull of a remarkable 2-1 win in extra time, sparking delirium up and down the country. However, the game was marred by a more than suspect performance from the Ecuadorian official, as he disallowed a perfectly legal Italian goal for offside, gifted South Korea a more than innocuous penalty, and sent off Italian poster boy Francesco Totti for a dive, before replays showed he was clearly caught in the box.
Italy cried foul, with coach Giovanni Trappatoni claiming after the whistle that the game had been bought by the Korean footballing authorities. Although this was initially passed off as proverbial Italian “sour grapes”, complaints were amplified after further contentious refereeing decisions in the quarter final involving South Korea saw them get past Spain after a penalty shootout. Rumours surfaced of money changing hands between the Korean footballing authorities and referees, while others accused FIFA of telling match officials to ensure Korean success and prolong a host nation presence in the tournament.
Under intense fan pressure, FIFA were forced to come to the rescue of the young Ecuadorian referee, with a so called “neutral probe” into Moreno’s performance finding “no anti-Italian bias”. This was scant consolation for Italy, where Moreno remains a pantomime villain to this day.
After apparently weathering the post-World Cup storm, Moreno returned to Ecuador as somewhat of a cult hero, enjoying new found celebrity status in his homeland. After resuming his refereeing career, Moreno then decided to pursue a new path in politics, running for election on the Quito City Council, and it was the deadly marriage of football and politics that caused Moreno’s next scandal.
For a man whose election slogan was “Red Card to Corruption”, what transpired was as predictable as it was ironic. In September 2002 (slap bang in the middle of his election campaign and at the height of his popularity) Moreno was accused of rigging a game to ensure native Quito team Deportivo would win, by refusing to blow the final whistle until they scored a winner. Moreno hoped that a Deportivo win would boost his chances in the council elections, deducing that the people of Quito would be grateful to him for ensuring a win for their local team. His dastardly scheme backfired spectacularly. Six weeks after
Moreno’s on-field political manipulating, he lost at the ballot box in disgrace, and was banned for 20 games by the Ecuadorian FA.
Before the season was out, Moreno had retired from refereeing altogether, after receiving yet another suspension from FIFA, following the unfair dismissal of three players from visiting Deportivo Quito in a 1–1 draw at Deportivo Cuenca. Moreno claimed he was victimised and unfairly criticised for his performances, and famously said upon his retirement that, “I prefer to die standing up than to live kneeling down”.
But as much as he attempted to dress his retirement up as an honourable and dignified choice, Moreno was forced into a corner by his own corruption. Realistically, Moreno had lost all credibility as a match official, and had become a deserved figure of ridicule among the Ecuadorian football community that had once lauded him as a great hero.
While the scandal in Korea had been damaging, but not fatal to his reputation (if anything it probably enhanced his stature), his choices to mix football and politics in a bid to further his own financial ends proved disastrous.
Remarkably, Moreno’s crooked antics did not end with his retirement in 2003. Following seven years making a living as a radio analyst, Moreno sensationally reappeared on the international scene in 2010. Having been arrested at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while trying to smuggle around 6kg of heroin worth € 535,000 hidden in his underwear, Moreno was handed a 30 month jail sentence and, in the process, well and truly sealed his already tarnished legacy.
Moreno will go down in footballing history as one of the most corrupt individuals to be associated with the game. Given the trust to officiate football on the grandest stage, Moreno let his personal greed cloud his judgements and override his morals.
While most referees are of course unpopular, it is Moreno’s choice to put his personal ambition ahead of the game that makes him the most hated of all time.