The head referee for the Inter Miami and Orlando City match has been changed just hours before kick-off after a few controversial photos were brought to light online.
Guilherme Ceretta de Lima was all set to officiate the Saturday afternoon clash between the in-state rivals until photos emerged of him wearing Miami‘s away jersey, as MLS Referee Stats’ post on X revealed.
As referees are meant to be neutral and keep all bias out of their officiating, this posed a huge problem to MLS and PRO. Ceretta, a Brazil native, has refereed games primarily in his home country and was slated to work as a SCAB referee – another term for replacement referee – during the ongoing lockout between MLS and PRO/PSRA.
It’s unclear when the photos of Ceretta in the black Herons’ jersey were taken, but PRO stepped in to take action. Ceretta is no longer officiating the game at Chase Stadium, with Jamie Herrera set to take charge. Herrera refereed during MLS’ opening weekend and officiated during Houston Dynamo’s 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on February 24.
Your scab referee for #MIAvORL, folks!@TheManeLand @EvanLWeston @alonso_purple @GavinEwbank #InterMiamiCF #OrlandoCity https://t.co/G8VcXXBH4g pic.twitter.com/tsWSlZEIGG
— MLS Referee Stats (@MLSRefStats) March 2, 2024
It’s another moment that’s made MLS look incredibly disorganized, as even though PRO is responsible for providing the replacement referees, this ordeal could’ve been avoided if the two sides came to an agreement and didn’t lockout right before the season began.
This controversial moment comes after the referees lockout as well as only eight first teams competing in US Open Cup, with plenty voicing their frustrations online toward the league and commissioner Don Garber.
