Buenos Aires, March 25 (NA) – In recent hours, new chats attributed to Juan Pablo Beacon and referee Fernando Espinoza have come to light, marking a new chapter in the scandal that has rocked Argentine refereeing and once again splashed the AFA's structure. The material was revealed on LN+, and according to what was reported, it would refer to a play from the match that Racing and Arsenal disputed in 2021. The appearance of these messages occurred while the Justice system is investigating a series of conversations that would have been extracted from Beacon's cell phone, former right-hand man of Pablo Toviggino. The material fell into the hands of federal judge Luis Armellay and prosecutor Cecilia Incardona, and within that file there are also references to the alleged distribution of money in 'envelopes' intended for referees, with mentions to the national director of refereeing, Federico Beligoy. The case expanded after, days ago, supposed chats between Beacon and referee Luis Lobo Medina for the match between Tigre and Mitre of Santiago del Estero, corresponding to the Primera Nacional of 2021, were also disseminated. That revelation had sparked a strong controversy over an alleged arrangement linked to refereeing decisions and cash payments, as reported by the Argentine News Agency. The match mentioned in the new messages would be the one where Arsenal beat Racing 2-1 on April 18, 2021, for the Professional League Cup, with Fernando Espinoza as the main referee. That precedent is now once again under scrutiny following the leak of the material attributed to Beacon. For the moment, no specific judicial validation of the full content of the chats attributed to Espinoza has transpired, so the public dissemination falls within a broader investigation into alleged irregularities in Argentine football. Even so, the appearance of new exchanges has once again deepened suspicions about the refereeing system and its link with AFA power leaders.
