| Full name | Kevin Paolo Ortega Pimentel[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1992-03-26)26 March 1992 (age 33)[2] Callao, Peru | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2015– | Peruvian Primera División | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2019– | FIFA | Referee | |
| CONMEBOL | Referee | ||
Kevin Paolo Ortega Pimentel (born 26 March 1992) is a Peruvian football referee who is a listed international referee forFIFA since 2019. He has also been officiating matches in thePeruvian Primera División since 2015. Ortega is one of the youngest referees in the Peruvian Football Federation.[3]
In 2021, he officiated three games, including the semi-final, at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, and in 2022, he was appointed to the 36-referee squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, accompanied by assistants Michael Orué and Jesús Sánchez.
He worked inSUNAT from 2014 to 2015.[4] On 12 May 2015, Ortega made his debut in the Primera División, the highest Peruvian division, at the age of 23. During the game between Unión Comercio and Alianza Atlético (5–2), he drew the yellow card twice.[5] Ortega has also been regularly used in the South American club competitions, theCopa Libertadores and theCopa Sudamericana.
Ortega became an international referee on the FIFA list in 2019.[6] He made his international debut in March 2019 in a match at the2019 South American U-17 Championship betweenArgentina andColombia. He was summoned to officiate a match in November of that year in a friendly betweenEcuador andTrinidad and Tobago.
In 2021, Ortega was nominated for the2020 Summer Olympics Football Tournament inTokyo. He featured in three games including the semi-final.[7] In May 2022, Ortega was appointed in the 36 referee squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar.[8][9] He was accompanied by his assistants Michael Orué and Jesús Sánchez.[8]
At theCopa Libertadores game betweenClub Always Ready from Bolivia andBoca Juniors from Argentina in May 2022, he was at the center of a controversy. Boca Juniors won the game 1–0 on a controversial penalty, after which the Bolivian police searched the referee's booth and seized several Boca Junior shirts that had been given to the referee team before the game. Always Ready representatives accused Ortega of taking advantage, while Boca Juniors stated that the gifts were a standard gesture.[10]
Ortega received additional criticism during the2024 Copa America match between the United States and Uruguay.[11][12] Ortega made several contentious calls, including allowing a fast free kick to be taken by Uruguay while he had begun issuing a yellow card toChris Richards.[13][14] U.S. team captainChristian Pulisic voiced his frustration with Ortega's decisions, criticizing Ortega for providing no explanations for his decisions.[15][16]