San Pedro Pirates vs Verdes called off due to lack of lodging for referees

Published by BBNTEAM at April 9, 2023

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Posted: Sunday, April 9, 2023. 9:54 am CST.

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: The Premier League of Belize (PLB) match between the San Pedro Pirates and Verdes wasn’t played on Saturday night in San Pedro because accommodations weren’t provided for the Belize City referee, according to the PLB.

“On March 30th, 2023 (9 days ago) referees were assigned for all PLB matches for Week 12 (April 8th & 9th). When the officials appeared in San Pedro today for the Pirates vs Verdes match, only the referee from Corozal had accommodations contrary to previous agreement to house all officials in a safe environment,” the PLB said in a press release.

“The referees from Belize City were expected to return on a boat with Verdes fans which was considered to be extremely risky and unprofessional.

“Unfortunately, the referees had no choice but to return on the last boat from San Pedro this evening.

“FFB and PLB will investigate the matter further and send out a release informing the public what steps will be taken on this rather unfortunate matter,” the PLB release closed.

According to PLB sources, the host team is responsible for referees’ accommodations.

With the referees returning to Belize City, and only the Central Referee available, the game was called off after 6:00 pm.

Verdes returned to Belize City last night from where they headed back home to Cayo.

The PLB will now have to decide if the game will be played as a back match or if it will be considered a forfeiture by the San Pedro Pirates.

Verdes sources said they spent between $5,000 to $6,000 in travel and food expenses.

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