Double standards? Official reason Maravilla saw red, not Miramón | OneFootball

Two similar situations, two different decisions. The official explanation made the difference: “additional movement” in Maravilla’s case, and its absence in Miramón’s. A distinction that convinced no one.

The Apertura quarterfinals left behind a refereeing controversy that spanned two matches and fueled the debate. At the Gigante de Arroyito, Adrián Maravilla Martínez was sent off after VAR intervention for a forearm to Emanuel Coronel. Hours later, Ignacio Miramón caught Matías Viña with a high elbow in River-Gimnasia and only got a yellow card. The question was inevitable: double standard? The official explanation drew a technical distinction that many found hard to defend: in Maravilla’s case there was “additional movement”; in Miramón’s, there wasn’t.

Maravilla’s sending-off had its own story. Referee Herrera initially showed the Racing forward a yellow card for the contact with Coronel. But Pablo Dóvalo, in charge of VAR, called him over to review the play, and Herrera ended up changing the decision. “He strikes him with the forearm,” the referee justified. The red card came at a critical moment in the match, and Racing ended up with nine men, since Marco Di Césare was also sent off in extra time after receiving his second yellow for a foul on Enzo Copetti that triggered an explosion from Racing’s bench. Rosario Central won 2-1 and advanced to the semifinals.

It’s worth noting that the Avellaneda side’s elimination did not only leave refereeing controversies behind. Diego Milito, the club’s president, lashed out with explosive statements that heated things up: “We feel robbed,” “Argentine football is broken,” and much more. On the other side, Ángel Di María also responded on social media with a message that quickly went viral and summed up the mood around Rosario Central after reaching the semifinals: “Fakes” and “Many of those who want to ‘change football’ can’t even run their own club,” among other bombs dropped by Fideo.

Hours later, at the Monumental, Miramón was involved in not one but two controversial incidents. The first came in the 20th minute, when he shoved referee Rey Hilfer after a decision went against him. The official chose to warn him without showing a card. The second, and more serious, came in the 41st minute: the midfielder raised his left elbow and struck Viña near the face during a challenge. River’s players called for a red card. Rey Hilfer only showed yellow, and VAR did not intervene. In the end, River won 2-0 against Gimnasia and will face Rosario Central in the semifinals.

The technical difference used to justify the two different decisions was the following: in Maravilla Martínez’s case, there was “a forearm to the face with additional movement,” which made it a straight red. In Miramón’s case, there was “a forearm to the neck without additional movement,” which left it at a yellow card.

A razor-thin distinction that on the field translated into completely different consequences for the teams involved and reignited the debate over the consistency of refereeing criteria in decisive stages of the tournament.

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