Ubaldo Aquino
… has received his dream assignment.
A Paraguayan referee, Aquino oversaw many high-profile South American contests in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999, I watched him give out two penalty kicks and two red cards in the final game of the Copa Libertadores, as well as five penalty kicks in a single Copa América game.
All these years later, he’s in charge of the video refereeing system (VAR) for the final round of the Copa Libertadores.
Stephen and I watched the first leg today. (It was postponed from yesterday because of heavy rain in Buenos Aires.) Boca Juniors and River Plate drew 2–2 in the Bombonera. There were no expulsions or penalty kicks. One player tumbled in the box and drew the “VAR” sign in the air with his hands, but Aquino withheld his counsel, and the field referee gave the player a yellow card.
The concluding leg will be played two weekends from now in River Plate’s stadium.
A Paraguayan referee, Aquino oversaw many high-profile South American contests in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999, I watched him give out two penalty kicks and two red cards in the final game of the Copa Libertadores, as well as five penalty kicks in a single Copa América game.
All these years later, he’s in charge of the video refereeing system (VAR) for the final round of the Copa Libertadores.
Stephen and I watched the first leg today. (It was postponed from yesterday because of heavy rain in Buenos Aires.) Boca Juniors and River Plate drew 2–2 in the Bombonera. There were no expulsions or penalty kicks. One player tumbled in the box and drew the “VAR” sign in the air with his hands, but Aquino withheld his counsel, and the field referee gave the player a yellow card.
The concluding leg will be played two weekends from now in River Plate’s stadium.