Ref sacked for not turning up – he was ‘assaulted by sex worker he hired’

A Mexican referee has been fired after failing to show up to officiate a match in October, amid reports he suffered injuries after being assaulted by a sex worker he hired.

Referee Rosario Guadalupe Cardenas was appointed as the fourth official in a match between Monterrey and Tigres in the Apertura tournament on October 19.

The Mexican referees' commission announced on the day of the match that Cardenas had been replaced due to a 'medical reason'.

Cardenas was replaced in the role by Ismael Lopez, with Ximena Marquez Ruíz installed as VAR official.

The organization launched an internal investigation two days later and stated that it would “clarify all details regarding this incident.”

Former Mexican referee Francisco Chacon later stated that Cardenas, 27, had not attended the match due to injuries sustained after being attacked by a sex worker he had hired.

“It turns out that a day before the match, Mr. Rosario Cardenas decided to hire a companion,” 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 abused, which caused him to fail his game.

'That was the “medical reason”'.

The Mexican Referee Commission confirmed Cardenas' dismissal on December 4 following the internal investigation.

The organization provided no further details about the circumstances, but deemed his behavior worthy of dismissal.

'The Referees' Commission reports that it has completed a detailed internal investigation, which began on October 21, to clarify the details regarding the incident involving referee Rosario Guadalupe Cárdenas on October 19, prior to day 12 of the match of 2024. Apertura Tournament,” a statement said.

'To ensure transparency and compliance with the associated protocols, this committee announces that, as a conclusion of the investigation, it has decided to terminate the contract of the said arbitrator for non-compliance with the Arbitration Rules.'

Mexico's Record newspaper reported that the official had violated the “ethical and professional values” of the Mexican Football Federation, with a source claiming that an investigation was still ongoing into reports that Cardenas had been assaulted by a sex worker.

“We were informed that this matter was being routed through the FMF's legal department, which was contrary to internal regulations and the FMF's ethical and professional values,” a source told the newspaper.

'I know there is a legal issue going on that is being dealt with to determine whether that was the case with the referee.

'But furthermore, Rosario was told internally that the referee for the organization and the FMF itself did not fulfill its responsibility due to lack of discipline and that they thanked him.'

Cardenas had yet to feature in the Mexican top flight, but the referee had worked his way through the refereeing ranks in recent years.

He worked at Under-20 and Under-23 levels before refereeing matches in the second tier of Mexican football.

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