Colombian arbitration is experiencing one of its darkest and most determining chapters. In the last few hours it has been confirmed that the Choco referee Jhon Hinestroza received an unprecedented punishment from the governing body of national football: he has been disqualified for life from refereeing professionally. With this decision, Hinestroza will no longer be able to direct matches in the League, Cup, Super League or Tournament, thus closing his cycle in the national whistle in a sudden manner.

The news, which has shaken the foundations of the Dimayor, was confirmed by the specialized portal El VAR Central, ensuring that the judge was definitively “erased” from the official lists after a series of incidents that culminated in an unforgivable administrative and sporting error.

The mistake that changed history: That prison in Ibagué

To understand the magnitude of this sanction, we must go back to December 2024, within the framework of the Colombian soccer semifinals. In a crucial duel between Deportes Tolima and Once Caldas, a play in the last minute changed the destiny of both clubs and, it is now known, of Hinestroza’s career.

In the final action, the player Joel Contreras was clearly knocked down inside the Tolima area. However, Hinestroza not only did not sanction the penalty, but he did not even stop the game to allow the VAR review, ignoring the angry claims of the Manizales team. That omission meant the direct elimination of Once Caldas and the passage of the ‘Pijao’ team to the grand final, unleashing a national indignation that called into question the transparency of the refereeing.
From temporary suspension to permanent “exile”

Initially, the judge had received a three-month sanction for what was described as a “glaring error.” However, after a thorough review of the protocols and the impact that the error had on the integrity of the competition, the governing body decided to elevate the punishment to permanent status.

Since that fateful match in Ibagué, Hinestroza did not appear again in the referee appointments. What many considered a preventive “rest” or “freeze” ended up being the prelude to his forced retirement. The lack of communication between the central judge and the VAR room in such a decisive play was the main test to determine his final exit.

A rigorous message for national arbitration

The sanction against Jhon Hinestroza sends a strong message to the entire refereeing union in Colombia: tolerance towards errors that directly alter the results of final phases will be null. In a football where VAR technology should minimize injustices, Hinestroza’s refusal to review Contreras’ play was seen as insurmountable technical negligence.

The Once Caldas fans, although with the sporting damage already consummated, receive this news as an act of late justice. For its part, Colombian refereeing faces the challenge of regaining the trust of fans and clubs, who see this punishment as an attempt to clean up the image of the competition.

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