Héctor Baldassi

Who is Héctor Baldassi?

Héctor Walter Baldassi is an Argentine retired football referee. His first Argentine first division was in 1998 and only two years later he debuted internationally. Nicknamed La Coneja Baldassi officiated several CONMEBOL club competitions including the final match of the 2008 Copa Libertadores, and participated in several international competitions including the 2004 Copa América and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was called for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but was later dismissed because one of his assistants didn't pass the medical tests.

He was preselected as a referee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, officiating his first World Cup match in Ghana's 1–0 win over Serbia on 13 June 2010. Then, he officiated Netherlands 1-0 win over Japan. In the round of 16, he officiated the match between Portugal and Spain, awarding a controversial goal to the Spanish team, later confirmed in replays to be a goal obtained from an offside position.