“World Cup or Chile?”: the unusual question from a Chilean referee during a Copa Sudamericana match

The match between Macará from Ecuador and Santos from Brazil, corresponding to the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, left one of the most curious scenes of the day even before the ball started rolling.

The protagonist was the Chilean referee Cristián Garay, who drew attention during the traditional pre-match coin toss. The referee used a particular coin and, before tossing it into the air, surprised the captains with an unexpected question: “World Cup or Chile?”.

The situation caused confusion among the players, who did not expect such a choice to determine the sides of the field. The scene also did not go unnoticed by the television broadcast and quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the match.

The reaction of the ESPN commentator

The curious coin toss also provoked a reaction from Germán Sosa, an ESPN commentator, who took advantage of the situation to joke about what happened and anticipated that the referee could become a social media sensation.

“Referee Cristián Garay is preparing for the meme with that World Cup or Chile toss,” he commented during the broadcast.

Garay's particular intervention ended up generating repercussions beyond the footballing development of the match and quickly turned into a viral scene.

Macará and Santos, in the round of 16

Beyond the striking episode featuring the Chilean referee, Macará and Santos faced off in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, in a decisive stage of the continental tournament.

Garay thus found himself at the center of attention for a reason completely different from the usual. The coin toss, which normally goes unnoticed before the start of any match, ended up becoming one of the most talked-about moments thanks to the particular choice of the coin and the question posed to the captains.