OLEGARIO

• The World Cup match Uruguay - Ghana had a weird ending. In the last minute of the extra time Luis Suares hit the ball with his hands standing on the goal line and so stopped Ghana's effort to score the winning goal. Ghanese striker Gyam saw his penalty hit the cross-bar. That was the last shot of the match before the shoot-out which was won by Uruguay.
• Still the politician he almost became, Olegario Manuel Bartolo Faustino Benquerença likes to point out in interviews what is wrong with his country. He is very disillusioned with the politicians in Portugal. Image has taken over from content. Tax evasion is rampant and no one takes the responsibility. Asked for a comment about it in football language, he said the opposition in his country deserves a direct red card and the Socialist Party a yellow one. Unlike other countries where some problems are quickly resolved, in Portugal serious problems aren't even being discussed. We can argue about things like football, he said, about the referee and his decisions, about players, but we never argue about inportant issues.
• The Portuguese do not like soccer, Benquerença once said, they want their team to win and if they don't they become angry. The Portuguese can't face the fact that players (and referees) can make mistakes.
  He feels more respect when officiating foreign teams.
• When asked about the big corruption scandal made known by the "Apito Dourado" (Golden Whistle) inquiry, Benquerença said that there are no corrupt referees only corrupt men. Corruption has to do with a lack of dignity. More money for referees will not be the solution because most corruption takes place in higher spheres anyway.
• When he was younger this partner in an insurance company, was not only a player in the Leiria division but also active within the Youth organization of the Socialist Party.
• Olegario and Jose
  We like a good conspiracy theory and this one is as good as any, and not so far fetched
  This is a picture of the goal Benfica scored against Porto in 2004. The ball bounces back from the inside of the goal and Benqurenca disallowed it. Porto was then coached by Mourinho.
  
  
  Then Benquerenca and Mourinho met again in the Champions League semi (read the report here) and many (Barca fans) thought he was favoring Inter, Mourinho's club.
  A Spanish radio station found out about the referee and the coach having co-owned a restaurant ("O Menino") in Leira and that they have been friends for at least ten years.
  
  
• Olegario took part of a talent show called Cuidado com as imitacoes. When asked about himself he said jokingly "I am from Milan". This was many years ago, but Barca fans seeing this clip on youtube now knew for sure: they lost because of the ref
  He looks pretty cool though
  
  
• This is from a Portuguese program that shows Benquerenca singing his song. Even if you don't understand Portuguese it is pretty obvious what is being said.