Colombian lawyer sues FIFA for €1bn over poor World Cup refereeing
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A Colombian lawyer is seeking damages of €1 billion from FIFA after sub-standard refereeing at the 2014 World Cup landed him in hospital.
Aurelio Jiménez, 74, claims that the performance of Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo in the quarter-final tie between Brazil and Colombia was the reason for him going into cardiac arrest.
Carballo suffered criticism for his performance in a game which featured more fouls than any other match in the tournament, including that from Juan Zúñiga which fractured a bone in Neymar's back and ended his World Cup campaign.
Speaking to the BBC World Service, Jiménez said: "I felt very bad, I was heartbroken, my cardiac rhythm was altered and my relatives took me to the emergency room at the hospital. I was surrounded by my grandchildren who were crying a lot.
"I decided to sue FIFA in the Colombian judiciary system because in the past world soccer championship in Brazil, there were many wrongdoings related to referees who damaged many countries and their selections, among them the Colombia team.
"Moreover, FIFA's referees caused big moral damages and distress to Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, England, Uruguay, Mexico and Costa Rica.
"I have testimonies of football stars Pelé, Diego Armando Maradona, David Ospina, James Rodríguez and international referees who examined the videos of the game between Brazil and Colombia."
Jiménez has promised to donate any damages he wins from the case to a government organisation to improve the welfare of Colombian children.
Aurelio Jiménez, 74, claims that the performance of Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo in the quarter-final tie between Brazil and Colombia was the reason for him going into cardiac arrest.
Carballo suffered criticism for his performance in a game which featured more fouls than any other match in the tournament, including that from Juan Zúñiga which fractured a bone in Neymar's back and ended his World Cup campaign.
Speaking to the BBC World Service, Jiménez said: "I felt very bad, I was heartbroken, my cardiac rhythm was altered and my relatives took me to the emergency room at the hospital. I was surrounded by my grandchildren who were crying a lot.
"I decided to sue FIFA in the Colombian judiciary system because in the past world soccer championship in Brazil, there were many wrongdoings related to referees who damaged many countries and their selections, among them the Colombia team.
"Moreover, FIFA's referees caused big moral damages and distress to Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, England, Uruguay, Mexico and Costa Rica.
"I have testimonies of football stars Pelé, Diego Armando Maradona, David Ospina, James Rodríguez and international referees who examined the videos of the game between Brazil and Colombia."
Jiménez has promised to donate any damages he wins from the case to a government organisation to improve the welfare of Colombian children.
