Challenger chair umpires on strike until they are paid debts

Surreal what has been experienced at the Challenger in Cali in recent hours, as the chair umpires of the tournament have refused to go onto the court as a form of protest until they were paid the outstanding debts from the WTA 125 Barranquilla that had taken place a few weeks ago. An unpleasant situation that has been resolved for the good of tennis and themselves.

INCREDIBLE. This week the Challenger in Cali is being held at Club Farallones, and the umpires staged a sort of 'strike' and did not go onto the court until their debts from the WTA 125 Barranquilla were paid. In the end, they were paid one by one, a debt more than a month and a half old, and after this, they went onto the court. It is unacceptable that this happens at such events and that brands continue supporting Jhan Fontalvo as a tournament organizer, as it reflects poorly on them. The damage he does to Colombian tennis is unimaginable, and he poses as a savior, but those of us who know him are aware of who he is and his reach.

— Andres Vargas Peraza (@andresvarperaza) October 21, 2026

More than a month and a half ago, those same umpires went to officiate the WTA 125 Barranquilla, but they did not receive any payment. Therefore, the measure they adopted to collect their debt was not to go onto the court at the Challenger in Cali until they were paid. The good news is that after a moment of uncertainty, they ended up receiving what was owed to them, allowing the tournament to continue normally.

A situation that tarnishes tennis

The truth is that these types of situations are quite unusual, although in the Challenger circuit we are used to strange occurrences, as we have seen it all. However, it remains a situation that tarnishes the sport and especially Colombian tennis, which does not deserve a case like this at all. 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los jueces de silla de un Challenger, en huelga hasta que no les paguen una deudas