The VAR official for Rosario Central - Estudiantes explained two controversial plays and defended his officiating

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.

Ovando's hand

The other play that concentrated Estudiantes' complaints occurred towards the end of the match, when the team requested a penalty for a handball by Ignacio Ovando inside the area. However, Herrera did not sanction anything and the VAR officials agreed with the interpretation made by the referee and decided not to intervene.

In this regard, Baliño explained that "the hand is in a natural or normal position for the action the player is performing, which is trying to jump to head the ball" and pointed out that the different angles of the replay showed a reduced distance between the header and the defender, which, in his view, limited any possibility of reaction.

He also argued that "it does not enlarge volume because the hand is not open in a cross, but oriented forward in a natural movement of the jump itself". He then added: "The player did not attempt to block that header with his hands. We believe that the evaluation made by Darío (Herrera) on the field was correct and that is why we decided not to call him to VAR".

Accusations against the referees

In addition to analyzing specific plays, Baliño referred to the impact of public criticism towards referees. “The public's sentiment about referees has a lot to do with a media issue, from certain figures who create situations without any proof. If they had proof, they should go to court and demonstrate it. When something is established in the football world, it is very difficult to uproot it", he stated.

In the same interview, the referee maintained that there is a difference in how the mistakes of different football protagonists are judged. "There are comments that do not add anything. We need to tone down that message a bit so that there are no problems, because a referee is not judged the same way as a player for their mistakes. If I make a mistake, I am corrupt; the player who missed an open goal had a bad day or a bad night. I don't think it's fair to judge the protagonists of the game so differently", he commented.