Despite being only ten years old and significantly shorter than most players on the field, Eric Callejas establishes his authority and does not hesitate to enforce the rules firmly as the youngest football referee in the world. In "El Alto," Bolivia's second-largest city, located at a high altitude next to the capital La Paz, Callejas can be seen on weekends blowing his whistle and officiating matches, inspired by his father, referee Ramiro.
Ramiro says, "I am very proud that refereeing runs in his blood." Callejas officiated his first women's league match after being registered by his father on the list of referees. Callejas recounted, "There was a women's tournament, and the coordinator asked if I could officiate it, and I said yes." So far, he seems to have impressed everyone with his style.
Player Bismar Tancara stated that Callejas has an innate talent. He added, "You could say he has a strong personality. He runs and moves and is not afraid of anyone, even amidst crowd objections. I believe he was born to be a referee. He is very talented. I love his way of managing matches."
Currently, Callejas officiates matches on sandy fields in a local league while his mother watches closely, and his father trains him and teaches him the rules of the game. However, he has great hopes of taking his talent to the international level. Callejas said, "My dream is to officiate a top match in Bolivia and to be a referee for FIFA so that I can go to the World Cup, Copa America, Copa Libertadores, and the Champions League."
