First a punch that knocked down the referee. Then he threw himself at him and continued attacking him. The images of the aggression spread through social networks. Pablo Faluotico, a player in Uruguay’s amateur maxibasketball league, never imagined the condemnation that awaited him for hitting referee Mario Añorga.
The former Welcome player, in addition to being expelled for life from the Veterans Union and the club, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, a penalty that he can replace by serving a series of sanctions.
The event occurred on October 4 within the framework of the game that Welcome was playing against Galacticos BBC for the category +30 of the Maxibasketball tournament, an official competition of the Uruguayan Federation of Basketball (FUBB), because the Union of Veterans of Basketball is part of the FUBB.
In the middle of the game, Faluotico took a ball and attacked the hoop, ramming a rival. The referee Añorga whistled for an attack foul. Without a word, the Welcome player hit him with a fist, the referee fell and the player threw himself on him to continue with the attacks.
The reactions were swift.
Welcome dropped out of the case. He withdrew the team from the competition and in a statement he clarified in the case of the player: “From the inquiries made, Mr. Pablo Faluotico does not appear in the club’s social register records, he is not a person close to the institution and was invited to participate in the tournament by other players of the team, however and without this being a justification of any kind, from the day of the date said player will be prohibited from entering our institution as well as from participating in any event related to the club Welcome ”.
The Veterans Union acted quickly and decided to suspend the player for life. And the arbitrators raised the criminal complaint.
Faluotico showed his regret for the incidents and expressed himself through his Facebook account.
“Given the events related to today’s match in the Maxibasket League, videos that have already gone viral. I would like to greatly apologize for my unsportsmanlike conduct. It was one of the worst things I could have done and I am totally sorry for reacting that way against referee Mario Añorga. I really hope you are in good health, I am at your disposal for anything you need. My sanctions being in the background, I really want this message to reach the judge above all things, but also the League and all its participants. I was totally excessive and unjustified. I have been in the basketball environment since I was little, managing good relationships and ties with all the people who participate in it and I am ashamed of these attitudes.
For that reason, I repeat, MY GREATEST APOLOGIES TO JUDGE MARIO AÑORGA, and I make myself totally available ”.
The condemned of Justice
On October 30, the Justice ruled in the case and Faluotico was convicted as the criminally responsible perpetrator of the crime of serious injuries to the aggressor of Mario Añorga, as the UJOBB (union of arbitrators) made known through a statement issued through their social networks .
UJOBB reported that with the intervention of the Criminal Prosecutor in charge of Dr. Leonardo Morales and the Criminal Law Judge, Dr. Patricia Rodríguez, within the framework of an abbreviated process, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
It is replaced with the following sanctions: probation regime; approach prohibition; residence in a specific place and supervision of the OSLA; presentation to the police section corresponding to the address; community tasks 2 hours a week for a period of 5 months and prohibition of attending public performances for 12 months.
The referees’ union expresses that this decision “is exemplary and sends a clear and forceful message of non-tolerance to violence in sport, setting an important precedent with measures aimed at avoiding the repetition of behaviors such as those that our colleague was a victim” .
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