Gery Vargas to referee UCV v Santos Copa Sudamericana play-off first leg | OneFootball

According to Diario Do Peixe, Bolivian referee Gery Vargas, 45, will take charge of UCV v Santos on Tuesday at 21:30 at Misael Delgado in Valencia, the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana play-off.

Fellow Bolivians Edwar Saavedra and Carlos Tapia will be the assistant referees, with Jorge Justiniano on VAR duty. Transfermarkt records 251 matches in his career, with 1,403 yellow cards, 42 dismissals for two bookings, 45 straight reds and 70 penalties. It also lists assignments in World Cup qualifiers, the 2016 Copa América, the 2017 and 2019 South American Under-20, and leagues in Saudi Arabia and Bolivia.

Vargas first handled Santos in 2018, a 2-0 defeat away to Real Garcilaso in the Libertadores opener in Peru.

In the 2022 Sudamericana, he oversaw a 1-0 win over Universidad Católica at the Olímpico Atahualpa in Ecuador. He then refereed the 1-1 draw with Deportivo Táchira at the Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo in Venezuela in the first leg of the last 16.

Earlier this year, he was in charge for Santos’ 1-0 defeat to Deportivo Cuenca in Ecuador in the competition’s first phase.

Vargas has a reputation as a strict official and has been involved in controversies. In 2017, during LDU v Defensor, he awarded a penalty to the hosts and was accused of elbowing a visiting player who protested. He is also known for frequently awarding penalties and issuing cards.

Source: Diario Do Peixe