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  • Canada-Honduras ref calls Jorge Luis Pinto 'a bit of a hothead.'


    Grant

    Henry Bejarano offered up more than one potentially controversial opinion in the course of a very short article on the Honduran web portal Deiz.hn. The headliner? He believes Honduran manager Jorge Luis Pinto is "a bit of a hothead." (The full article is available here in Spanish.)

    More of interest to Canada fans: he hopes that Pinto can get Honduras to the World Cup. Yes, that's right. Why would a referee grant an interview to media from one of the countries involved in an upcoming match he's officiating? At least he was careful to offer opinions that could expose him to accusations of bias from both sides equally. The full context of his Pinto 'hothead' quote is that he considers the Colombian a solid professional, but one whose anger can get the better of him.

    He describes himself as "very strict" on the pitch and full of happiness off of it. He's never reffed a match involving Honduras at the senior level, but he was in charge during the Whitecaps 1-0 victory over Honduran club side Olimpia at BC Place in September. According to this interview, he also mistakenly believes the BC Place roof will be closed during the match.

    He spoke about how Costa Ricans and Hondurans are "brothers" and that he's pulling for his native country to qualify for Russia too. He ends with a quote that should haunt every Canadian supporter who's ever watched a match involving Concacaf refereeing.

    "Although I'm a referee, I wish [Honduras and Costa Rica] the best of luck."



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