Conmebol picks referee for Flamengo v Cusco clash in the Libertadores | OneFootball

Derlis Lopez, from Paraguay, will officiate Flamengo’s Libertadores opener

The road toward a fifth Libertadores title is about to begin. On April 8, Flamengo will travel to the altitude of Cusco, Peru, to face the home team. For the match, Conmebol has appointed Paraguayan referee Derlis Lopez to take charge.

The referee will be accompanied by Roberto Cañete and José Cuevas as assistants. In addition, Mário Diaz de Vivar will serve as the fourth official. Finally, Fernando Lopez and Carlos Figueiredo will be in charge of the video assistant referee, the well-known VAR.

WHAT IS DERLIS LOPEZ’S RECORD IN FLAMENGO MATCHES?

The 37-year-old Paraguayan referee has officiated one Flamengo match in his career. Coincidentally, it was also at altitude. Last year, the referee oversaw Mengão’s 0-0 draw against LDU (ECU) in Quito, in the third round of the Copa Libertadores group stage.

Despite a “trouble-free” performance in Flamengo’s 2025 match, Lopez has a controversial history in his career. In 2021, the Paraguayan was suspended for eight months by Conmebol for making an error considered serious by the continental governing body.

In a match between Boca Juniors (ARG) and Atlético-MG, at La Bombonera, the referee failed to award a legitimate goal to the home side. On that occasion, the main referee for Cusco x Flamengo was in charge of VAR. On the field, Andres Rojas was the head referee.

WHEN WILL CUSCO X FLAMENGO TAKE PLACE?

Cusco and Flamengo will face each other on Wednesday (8), starting at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, at Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium in Cusco. The venue is 3,399 meters above sea level, meaning Mengão will have to deal with the thin air. The match is valid for Group A of the Libertadores, which also includes Estudiantes de la Plata (ARG) and Independiente Medellín (COL), who also play on the same day.

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