São Paulo v LDU: Argentine ref with big name, little experience | OneFootball

The referee who will command the quarterfinal duel of the Libertadores between São Paulo and LDU, this Thursday (18), in Ecuador, was defined by Conmebol this week.

For those who look at the resume of the 36-year-old Argentine Yael Falcón Pérez, and see participations in Libertadores, Club World Cup, Olympic Games, and South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, they imagine him to be a referee with extensive experience in the international scene. A gross mistake.

Despite already having ten years of career in refereeing, Yael Falcó, only three seasons ago, started refereeing in the 1st division, to join the Fifa board the following year. One of the many meteoric rises within the position.

It was in the 2023/24 season that Falcón began to be scheduled for major tournaments, but he refereed little. There were five games refereed in the Copa Libertadores and one in the South American, all without great importance. Among national teams, one match in the Copa América and three more in the Paris Olympic Games, one of them in the women's.

Already this year, in addition to more duels refereed by Libertadores and Qualifiers, he also went to the Club World Cup, where he commanded minor games, Atlético Madrid x Seatle and Chelsea x Esperance.

REFEREE PROFILE

Yael Falcón usually has the habit of letting the game run, without marking many fouls, also managing the distribution of cards. This season, he averages approximately 6 yellow and 0.5 red cards per refereed match.

He is the referee who prefers to deal with the conversation, or verbal warning, to curb the famous 'ceras' during the games. Despite the firm hand, he lets the ball roll.

To assist Falcón in the Tricolor game in Quito, only compatriots. Facundo Rodriguez and José Savorani will be the field assistants, and Jorge Baliño commands the refereeing in the VAR booth, all representing Argentina.

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