Chile demands referee ban after controversial Copa America exit

Chile’s Football Federation (FFC) has asked the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to suspend referee Wilmar Roldan after the team was eliminated from the Copa America on Saturday following a 0-0 draw with Canada. The FCC said Colombian referee Roldan lacked impartiality in his matches and made “serious errors” in the match against the Canadians.

Chile were outraged after being reduced to ten men in the 27th minute of the game in Orlando after Gabriel Suazo received a second yellow card. They were also angered after Canada defender Moise Bombito appeared to elbow Rodrigo Echeverria in the fifth minute of the game, but VAR did not review the incident.

In the letter to CONMEBOL’s Referees Committee, the FCC said Roldan also made “blatant errors” at the 2021 Copa America when he failed to award a penalty to Chile in a 2-0 group stage loss to Paraguay. CONMEBOL rejected a request from the FCC to suspend the referee after that match.

“The FFC requests that referee Wilmar Roldan be given an indefinite and definitive suspension and/or the maximum penalty applicable to such catastrophic conduct,” the FCC wrote in the letter signed by Secretary General Jorge Yunge Williams. “This is in line with Mr. Roldan’s repeated conduct in the matches in which he is in charge of the Chilean national team.”

The FFC also criticized the refereeing decisions in the other group matches against Argentina and Peru. Uruguayan Andres Matonte and Brazilian Wilton Sampaio made “questionable refereeing decisions.” Chile was eliminated from the tournament after failing to score a single goal. The 2015 and 2016 Copa winners had not been eliminated earlier than the quarter-finals of the tournament since 2004.

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