Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, October 18, 2025, 09:30 / Updated Saturday, October 18, 2025 09:40
One of the lesser-known moments in world football dates back to 1989, when Brazil v Chile competed in the qualifiers for a place at the 1990 World Cup, right at the Maracana, in front of over 100,000 spectators.
The case of the Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas is not very well known, but it is even more bizarre. And with dramatic consequences.
He was bleeding from being hit by a torch, but something didn't add up
In 1989, Chile were battling Brazil at the 'Maracana' in front of 141,000 fans for a place at the 1990 World Cup. Only a win would ensure their qualification. However, the guests were leading from the 49th minute, and everything seemed to lead to an expected triumph of the favorites.
In the 67th minute, a Brazilian fan threw a torch onto the pitch and Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas collapsed to the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was writhing in pain, with a bleeding wound above his eye.
The Chileans asked for a stretcher, but it was not available. The injured goalkeeper was carried to the dressing room on his arms and never returned. The hosts waited 20 minutes on the field, and the referee ended the match prematurely.
The Brazilians feared a defeat on the green table, which would have meant their first absence since a final tournament. And that's probably how it would have happened, if it weren't for Argentine photographer Ricardo Alfieri.
“I took 14 or 15 photos with that torch. It fell to the ground and created a cloud of smoke. Rojas then collapsed to the ground and was covered in blood. I had the impression that the torch did not hit him. However, it didn't make sense. He didn't hit him, but the man was bleeding“, Alfieri explained to goal.com.
He had a razor blade hidden in his glove
What actually happened? Rojas had a razor blade hidden in his glove, and when the torch fell about a meter behind him, he tried to take advantage of the situation. He fell to the ground and inflicted a cut above his eye with the blade.
“Yes, I cut myself and this was discovered later. It was also a blow to my dignity. My colleagues turned their backs on me then“, Rojas admitted to “La Tercera”, in an interview entitled “I'm guilty!”.
The cameras did not capture where the torch fell. They only reacted to the fans' reaction as Rojas was already writhing on the floor in feigned agony. Of all the photographers, only Alfieri captured the moment of impact of the torch.
When fellow Brazilian Paulo Teixeira found out, he ran to a local radio reporter and arranged a live interview for Alfieri, where he recounted what had happened.
The Brazilian photographer pressed his colleague: “Ricardo, you are the only one who has proof that Rojas is lying and cheating. I won't let you leave the country until you develop those photos.“
When the president of the Brazilian Football Federation learned of the existence of the images, he immediately requested them.
“He came into the camera room and he was angry. His face was white, black, red, yellow, all colors. 'Who has those pictures, who has those pictures?' he asked,” Teixeira told CNN.
Chile missed out on the 1990 and 1994 World Championships
The developed images did indeed prove that the pyrotechnic material fell about a meter behind Rojas. This was also confirmed by the medical report, according to which he had no burns on his face from the torch.
Rojas only admitted later. He revealed that coach Orlando Aravena and team doctor Daniel Rodriguez were also involved. The goalkeeper had to wait for fan unrest or an altercation between players in the event of an unfavorable result.
The torch was thrown onto the field by Rosenery Mello, then 24 years old. After revealing his identity, he received an offer from the men's magazine Playboy and posed under the nickname “The Rocket from the Maracana”.
It's funny that after his 15 minutes of fame was over and he ran out of money, he supported himself by selling pyrotechnic entertainment.
Rojas received a lifetime ban after being found guilty, and the team's trainer and doctor were also suspended.
The match was recorded 2-0 in favor of Brazil. Thus, Chile did not qualify for the 1990 World Cup, and FIFA also banned them from participating in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers.
Rojas' suspension was overturned in 2001, but at the time he was already 44 years old and had never played another game. He was already working as a goalkeeping coach and later as a head coach.
Brazil forgave Rojas, finding a home there
The incident, surprisingly, did not ruin his reputation in Brazil. Five years after the attempted fraud, he was hired by the famous Brazilian club FC Sao Paulo.
As a goalkeeping coach, he managed and improved local legend and 2002 world champion Rogério Ceni for nearly a decade. Rojas eventually spent most of his coaching career in Brazil.
He was already active at FC Sao Paulo at the time of the incident. He was then at the height of his career. Two years before, he had led Chile to the final of the Copa América, being included in the best eleven of the championship.
“I always felt sorry that Rojas got a life ban because he was an excellent goalkeeper. Because of one photo, he lost everything. But I was only doing what was my duty as a journalist.
Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for Chile, I was able to take that photo. Otherwise, Chile would have qualified for the World Championship at the expense of Brazil“, the photographer Ricardo Alfieri recalled the most famous moment of his career.
The Chilean goalkeeper admitted to cheating, and Brazil forgave him. According to CNN, he still lives in Sao Paulo today.
“Rojas is not a bad man, he just made a mistake that day. Chile had everything planned, which sounds really incredible. Nowadays, with mobile phones, it would have been impossible,” Ricardo Gomes, Brazil's captain at the time, told the same source.
