From 'all ball' to 'clear as day': Merlos's U-turn at La Bombonera | OneFootball

After the 1-1 draw at La Bombonera on matchday 14 of the Torneo Apertura, the AFA released the VAR audio and video to clarify the play that changed the course of the match. The focus was on Sebastián Valdez’s foul on Alan Velasco, which led to Milton Giménez’s penalty goal.

From “all ball” to a penalty

The video shows how the head referee, Andrés Merlos, drastically changed his initial stance after being called to the monitor. At first, and despite being close to the play, the official was convinced the action was legal: “For me, all ball. All ball,” he can be heard saying firmly as play continued.

However, from the VAR booth, Lucas Novelli spotted the reckless challenge: “The Boca player is the one who touches the ball first. Boca gets there first and the Independiente player sticks his foot in to block,” they warned him, pointing out that Valdez arrived late to the challenge.

The technical argument

The AFA’s official explanation states that the «Rojo» defender committed a reckless foul by striking his opponent, who had already reached the ball first. According to the report, Merlos’s position was not enough to properly see the actual contact on Velasco’s foot, which made technological intervention necessary.

Merlos’s final verdict

Once in front of the screen and after watching the replays of the stomp near the edge of the penalty area, Merlos immediately changed his view:

“And he does catch him. It’s clear, the player who commits the penalty is number 36. The Boca player gets there first and then he hits him. Clear, it’s crystal clear. It’s a clear penalty, perfect,” the referee concluded.

Finally, Merlos ended the review by announcing his technical and disciplinary decision: “For me, it’s a penalty with no booking. I’m going with a penalty,” thus closing one of the most talked-about controversies of matchday 14.

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