CONMEBOL has taken punitive measures against two referees, Uruguay’s Andres Cunha and Esteban Ostojich for poor officiating
By Kehinde Okeowo
Argentina and Brazil met and played 0-0 draw in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
But the officials in charge of the World Cup qualifier have now been suspended indefinitely by the CONMEBOL Referees Commission.
According to Marca, this happened because the lead referee, Uruguay’s Andres Cunha, did not send off Argentina center-back Nicolas Otamendi for an elbow on Brazil winger Raphinha. His VAR assistant, Esteban Ostojich, was also punished.
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Andres Cunha did not see the incident live, but Esteban Ostojich in the VAR room watched it from several angles but did not notify his compatriot that Otamendi committed a violent play, and should have been issued with a red card.
A video of the discussions between Cunha and Ostojich on the incident has also emerged, it showed they both agreed that the incident was not a red car offense and it did not happen inside the box.
Brazil had qualified before the match but the outcome of the encounter was crucial to Argentinas’ automatic qualification for the 2022 Qatar World cup.
CONMEBOL is the continental governing body of football in South America, and it is one of FIFA’s six continental considerations, it is also the oldest continental confederation in the world.