Jose Donato Pes Perez, a First Division referee for thirteen seasons, has died at the age of 79, as reported by the RFEF Technical Committee of Referees. Born on April 7, 1943, the man from Zaragoza became international, directing matches in the European Cup and the UEFA Cup.
throughout their thirteen seasons in First DivisionBetween the 1977-78 and 1989-90 academic years, he directed a total of 128 games. In one of them, in the 1983-84 campaign, Pes Pérez gained prominence worldwide by becoming the first referee to expel Diego Maradona in Spain, a red card that the man from Zaragoza showed the Argentinian star for a tackle on Miguel Ángel in a derby between Barcelona and Espanyol played at the Camp Nou.
“He committed the offense under my nose, so I didn’t pay attention to whether it was Maradona or any other player. It was a direct red action and that’s how I showed it to him, “explained the former referee, now deceased, on the Cope chain.
Jose Donato Pes Perez, who reached the Second Division in 1975 and two seasons later was promoted to the highest category, only directed three “classics” -in 1980, 81 and 82- for two clear reasons. «The first, because I was the only referee challenged by Real Madrid in its history. He was persona non grata. The second, because I was a referee who couldn’t stand a ‘host…’ on the pitch. With me they knew how it was going to start, but not how it was going to end, and Barcelona-Madrid are games in which you have to compromise, which is what the referees do today, “explained the Aragonese after his withdrawal.
condolences | The Technical Committee of Referees of the @RFEF regrets the death of former international referee José Donato Pes Pérez.
The Aragonese referee played in the First Division for 13 seasons.
We want to show our condolences to family and friends.
D.E.P. pic.twitter.com/dFJxLgJCPa— CTA (@CTARFEF) December 17, 2022
This purebred Aragonese never showed a red card in the great duel: «I did not have to throw anyone out because they respected me. The footballers said that however you look at this ‘kid’ -Pes Pérez-, bad. I think that if two players hit each other, they should be kicked out. Now, the referee tells them to shake hands and continue playing until they hit each other again. What a fagot! “, the deceased referee recalled in an interview.
Season 1983/84: Diego is expelled by José Donato Pes Pérez after a tough tackle on Miguel Ángel. It happened in the Catalan classic and Barcelona won 5-2. pic.twitter.com/hm0FlRg9H8
— The ball does not stain (@Diego10Querido) January 4, 2020
Pes Pérez, always wearing a peculiar beard and mustache In the years in which he worked as a referee, he collaborated in various media after hanging up the whistle. A man who spoke clearly on and off the field. In 2021, in an interview on Onda Cero, he recalled how throughout his arbitration career, in which his fame as controversial accompanied him, he found himself on several occasions with all four wheels of the car punctured by him.
One of his controversial parties The most remembered took place in the 1985-86 season, in a Valencia-Seville game played at Mestalla and in which the local team lost due to a much-protested penalty. The Aragonese experienced a rain of pads that forced him to stop for five minutes of a match in which Pes Pérez had trouble leaving Mestalla. Despite the fact that a thousand fans were waiting for him at the gates of the stadium, the referee wanted to leave through the main door, although in the end he followed the advice of the Police and left the field through a false door.
