Wasted 42 minutes of time in the Bolivian league match
Six umpires were suspended after 42 minutes of stoppage time was counted during the first-class match in Bolivia, which saw heavy rain and reduced the pitch.
The new FIFA guidelines implemented during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have resulted in more time being suspended as FIFA tries to prevent time-wasting.
But the new rules led to scenes unprecedented in South America during Monday’s clash between Atletico Palmaflor and Blooming.
Gilbert Alvarez doubled the lead in the 82nd minute after Jonathan Canet’s first-half penalty to give Atletico Palmaflor a 2-0 lead, but a surprising end to the match – played on a partially flooded pitch – saw Bloom pull one back. Gaston Rodriguez. By Miso.
Counting a goal requires the video assistant referee (VAR) to conduct a 17-minute review and look for possible offsides before it is finally counted.
With the assumption that a longer period would be added as injury time, however, instead of the expected 18 or 20 minutes, a further 30 minutes were added until the end of the match.
Referee Julio Fernando Gutierrez then showed two red cards to Blooming’s players at the end of a heated exchange that saw clashes erupt between the two teammates, and Blooming’s equalizer through Jose Luis Sinistera.
Then Atletico Palmaflor took the lead in the 38th minute through Canet, and five minutes later Gutierrez finally blew his whistle to mark the end of the 132-minute match.
Despite his victory in the face of the Bolivian first division, Palmaflor president Evo Morales was not happy with the referee after the match, as he said, according to the British newspaper “The Sun”: “We are happy that our team beat Blooming. Suspicious referee. We regret it and we ask for a performance review. “All referees are over-extending matches. We don’t want to think they’re looking forward to losing our team.”
Meanwhile, Blooming’s official social media account mocked the jury, saying the final whistle signaled “the end of the third period.”
It has been confirmed that Gutierrez and five referees have been suspended pending investigations by the Bolivian Football Federation.
“Explorer. Problem solver. Certified reader. Incurable web expert. Subtly charming travel guru. General student. Twitter evangelist.”