Facundo Tello, an Argentine referee who was one of 36 officials chosen for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, gave 10 red cards in a domestic cup final on Sunday.
The match between Racing Club and Boca Juniors ended 2-1 in the Trofeo de Campeones de la Superliga final.
According to The Mirror, the 40-year-old referee showed seven players red cards in the aftermath of teenager Carlos Alcaraz’s last-gasp extra-time winner, adding that the referee’s willingness to dismiss that many players may be a concern to international officials ahead of the World Cup.
Boca took the lead at the Estadio Parque La Pedrera in the 19th minute when Armenia international, Norberto Briasco, scored with a left-footed strike. Yet Racing were back on level terms just moments later thanks to Paraguayan Matias Rojas’ long-range strike.
Neither team could find a breakthrough in normal time, which ended with some handbags between Boca’s Sebastian Villa and Racing’s Johan Carbonero. A lot of referees would’ve waved play on – but not Tello, who sent both players off.
Racing gained a numerical advantage in the 100th minute when Alan Varela was dismissed. The Avellaneda club made that count in the dying minutes of extra-time, as Alcaraz scored a header and claimed their first trophy in three years.
Tello had however, officiated a match between Jordan and Morocco at the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021.