Juan Gabriel Benítez Mareco (born 23 October 1982) is a Paraguayan football referee who has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2019.
| Born |
23 October 1982 Asunción, Paraguay | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2015–present | APF División de Honor | ||
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2019–present | FIFA listed |
| |
Career
editBenítez was born in Asunción, Paraguay, on 23 October 1982. He played basketball in his youth, representing the youth team of Paraguay at two South American Championships in the 1990s.[1] After reading a report about referees in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and how well-formed in languages and culture they were, Benítez decided to pursue a career as a professional referee.[1] He began leading matches in the APF División de Honor—Paraguay's top-tier league—in 2015 and earned his FIFA badge in 2019.[2][3]
Benítez has overseen important matches in his home country's league, including the Paraguayan clásico between Cerro Porteño and Club Olimpia.[2] In 2024, the city of Luque declared Benítez persona non grata following a heated match between Sportivo Luqueño and Club Libertad where the locals saw themselves negatively affected by Benítez's decisions.[2][4][5]
Within CONMEBOL and inter-continental tournaments, Benítez has overseen matches at Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores. His performances often draw criticism when games are heated or physically intense, with some commentators like Miguel Scime of Infobae saying that Benítez handles quiet matches better. Scime alleged that Benítez's high record of yellow and red cards shows that Benítez lacks resources to deal with these matches beyond sanctions.[2][6]
Other competitions for Benítez at the international level include CONMEBOL qualification games for the FIFA World Cup, the 2024 Copa América in the United States, and being selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[2][7][8][9]
Selected performances
edit| 2026 FIFA World Cup – North America | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Result | Round | Venue |
| 20 June 2026 |  Germany –  Ivory Coast | 2–1 | Group stage | BMO Field, Toronto |
References
edit- 1 2 Duarte, Juan V. (10 August 2020). "Del básquet al referato". Crónica del Paraguay (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Scime, Miguel (9 June 2025). "Radiografía de Juan Gabriel Benítez, el árbitro de Argentina-Colombia: por qué es una apuesta de riesgo". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Paraguayan Football Association | International match officials". Inside FIFA. 1 January 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Declaran "personas no gratas" en Luque a Blas Romero y Juan Gabriel Benítez". OneFootball (in Spanish). 30 January 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Quién es Juan Benítez, el árbitro de Selección Argentina vs. Uruguay". TyC Sports (in Spanish). 21 March 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Quién es Juan Gabriel Benítez, el árbitro de Argentina vs. Colombia". TyC Sports (in Spanish). 16 June 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "El paraguayo Juan Benítez será el árbitro del partido de Uruguay ante Bolivia". ESPN (in Spanish). 25 June 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ Leiva, Federico (9 April 2026). "La FIFA definió a los árbitros para el Mundial 2026: Argentina y Brasil son los que más aportan y hay dos mujeres". CNN en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- ↑ "Terna mundialista para el Superclásico del domingo". ABC Color (in Spanish). 16 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.