Punishing refs for wrong calls hit the news last month when English Premier League referee
Rob Styles was banned for one game and relegated to the lower divisions for mistakenly
calling a penalty kick against Liverpool that gave Chelsea a 1-1 tie. In Ecuador, the hammer came down even harder.
Carlos Vera was handed a 10-game suspension for his performance in
the Guayaquil derby between Barcelona and Emelec. Vera was suspended for arriving late for the game and for erring on what is one of soccer's most difficult calls.
Vera, responding to
FIFA's directive, yellow-carded Emelec midfielder
Gabriel Fernandez for diving in the penalty area. Having been cautioned earlier in the game, Fernandez was sent off.
With the luxury of video replay, the Ecuadoran federation determined that Fernandez had been fouled.
