Racing v Flamengo: Conmebol shares VAR audio on Plata’s red card | OneFootball

Why didn't referee Piero Maza even go to the VAR to review Plata's expulsion?

Plata received a red card in the Flamengo match against Racing (ARG) on Wednesday (29), during the second leg of the Libertadores semifinal. Conmebol, therefore, released the VAR audio this Thursday (30) and highlighted the justification for the expulsion.

What was the dialogue between the referee and the VAR?

Juan Lara (VAR): “Look, this one (Plata) here landed a blow, he will have to be expelled. It was off-camera, here, look, when this one (Rojo) fell.”

Claudio Urrutia (assistant): “The Racing player tries to lift the Flamengo player by the shirt. And the Flamengo player hits him with a punch in the genitals. For me, violent conduct.”

Edson Cisternas (AVAR2): “Claudio says there is a blow.”

Juan Lara: “Violent conduct. Number 6 is going to lift (Plata), and he hits him. Piero, we only have a distant camera showing Marcos Rojo lifting the player by the shirt, he (Plata) reacts with a blow” – then, the red card is confirmed.

What is the context of Plata's expulsion?

Referee Piero Maza expelled Plata 11 minutes into the second half. The Flamengo forward had his hair pulled by defender Rojo and then slapped the Racing defender.

The linesman observed the incident and requested Plata's expulsion to the main referee Piero Maza. However, the Flamengo players asked the referee to go to the VAR to review the incident, as he hadn't seen what happened between the players.

The referee, however, did not go to the VAR and upheld the on-field decision, expelling Gonzalo Plata. As a result, Flamengo played almost the entire second half with one player less. Nonetheless, in the end, the Most Beloved achieved a heroic qualification for the Libertadores final.

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