Conmebol picks ref for Medellín v Flamengo; he clashed with Vini Jr | OneFootball

Flamengo’s match against Independiente Medellín (COL) takes place next Thursday (07)

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) has announced the full refereeing crew for Independiente Medellín (COL) vs. Flamengo. The organization appointed Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela to officiate the match, valid for the fourth round of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

In addition, Conmebol also named the assistants for next Thursday’s match (07), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Atanasio Girardot Stadium. They are Tulio Moreno and Alberto Ponte, both Venezuelan. VAR will be handled by Uruguay’s Andres Cunha.

SEE THE OFFICIATING CREW:

FLAMENGO’S SEVENTH MATCH?

This will be the seventh Flamengo match officiated by Jesús Valenzuela, and the record is positive. In those games, Mengão won four times, drew once, and lost once. One of those wins, in fact, was the crushing rout over Olimpia (PAR) in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Libertadores.

WHAT WAS THE LAST FLAMENGO MATCH OFFICIATED BY JESÚS VALENZUELA?

The last Flamengo match officiated by Jesús Valenzuela took place in October 2025. On that occasion, the Rubro-Negro beat Racing (ARG) 1-0 at the Maracanã, with a goal by Jorge Carrascal, in the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal.

CONTROVERSY IN THE COPA AMÉRICA?

Jesús Valenzuela drew attention during the 2024 Copa América held in the United States. That’s because, against the Brazilian National Team, the referee did not award a penalty on Vini Júnior during the first half of Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Colombia, in the third round of Group D of the tournament. Later, Conmebol acknowledged the refereeing mistake on the field.

“In the 42nd minute of the first half, during a challenge for the ball inside the penalty area of the team in black, the defender does not play the ball and makes reckless contact in the action. The referee does not see the action and allows play to continue,” Conmebol said at the time.

SEE FLAMENGO MATCHES OFFICIATED BY VALENZUELA:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.