Paraguayan football tribunal backs FIFA's ban on journalist

Raúl Prono, president of the Paraguayan Football Association's Disciplinary Tribunal, has backed FIFA's decision to revoke the credentials of journalist Jorge "Chipi" Vera for the 2026 World Cup. FIFA cited "repeated personal attacks and derogatory comments directed at FIFA officials" during the Paraguay-Turkey match as the reason for the revocation.

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The World Cup is a private event where you have to put up with condemnation.

Prono emphasized that international sporting bodies like FIFA, CONMEBOL, and the APF operate as private civil associations with their own internal regulations. He compared FIFA's action to a referee penalizing a player for misconduct on the field, stating that accredited journalists have a specific role and cannot insult authorities.

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FIFA responds with the same criteria and instantly as it would respond to any insult from a player on the soccer field.

He argued that the line between protesting in the stands and using an official media microphone is a matter of degree, not essence. Prono stressed that journalists sign codes of conduct beforehand and must accept the consequences if they cross those boundaries.

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It is not a common spectator from the stands; he is an accredited journalist and fulfills another role within this dynamic.

However, Prono acknowledged Vera's "mature" public apology and suggested it might prompt FIFA to soften its stance. He clarified that the sanction is not an act of "verbal violence" or censorship but a necessary measure for maintaining order within the private event.

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FIFA cannot allow a professional to insult its authorities with such expressions due to the circumstances of a match.