The International Supercup that Rosario Central won 3-1 against Estudiantes de La Plata is still generating repercussions. The decisions made by Darío Herrera were at the center of attention during and after the match, while Estudiantes expressed their dissatisfaction both on the field and in subsequent statements. In this context, Jorge Baliño, in charge of VAR at the Madre de Ciudades stadium, came out to explain the main actions under discussion.
The penalty on Copetti
One of the moments that generated the most controversy was the penalty awarded to Central for a foul by Leandro González Pirez on Enzo Copetti inside the area. Baliño explained that, initially, Herrera interpreted that the forward had caused the contact.
"In the specific situation of González Pirez with Copetti, Darío (Herrera) and the assistant commented that Copetti had dived and had caused the contact by stopping. One knows the protagonists and takes into account the situations, but one cannot prejudge and think that just because he fell in ten plays, he did it in the eleventh as well", the referee recounted in an interview with Radio La Red.
The VAR official also explained that he decided to ask the main referee to review the action on the monitor. "In VAR we have time while the game continues; when the ball stops, I asked him again what he had seen and he repeated the same thing. Then I said to him: ‘Look, Darío, what you are telling me did not happen, I invite you to an On-Field Review to reassess it’".
After observing the play again, Herrera ultimately maintained the decision to sanction the foul. Baliño defended that determination and considered that the contact should be punished due to the speed at which it occurred. "When he sees it, he clearly observes the contact. I understand that there is talk of ‘minimal contact’, but with a player launched at maximum speed, that minimal touch causes his fall. It ends up configuring what the regulations define as recklessness, something that is regulated and must be sanctioned", he stated.
