Chile wants Copa América referee suspended for ‘gross errors’

The Chilean Football Federation (FFC) has called on CONMEBOL to suspend referee Wilmar Roldan after the team was eliminated from the Copa América on Saturday following a 0-0 draw with Canada.

The FCC found that Colombian referee Roldan lacked impartiality during the matches and made “egregious errors” in the match against the Canadians.

Chile were left furious when Gabriel Suazo received a second yellow card in the 27th minute of the match in Orlando and the team was reduced to 10 players.

They also felt wronged when, in the fifth minute of the match, Canadian defender Moïse Bombito elbowed Rodrigo Echeverria, but VAR did not assess the incident.

In a letter to the CONMEBOL refereeing committee, the FCC said Roldan also made “egregious errors” during the 2021 Copa América, when he disallowed a penalty in Chile’s 2-0 group stage defeat to Paraguay.

CONMEBOL rejected the FCC’s request to suspend the referee after this match.

“The FCC demands that Judge Wilmar Roldan be punished with an indefinite and final suspension and/or the maximum penalty applicable for such disastrous conduct,” the FCC wrote in a letter signed by Secretary General Jorge Yunge Williams.

“This is consistent with Mr. Roldan’s repeated behaviour in matches in which he referees the Chilean national team.”

The FFC also raised issues surrounding the refereeing in the other group matches against Argentina and Peru, saying Uruguayan Andres Matonte and Brazil’s Wilton Sampaio were guilty of “questionable refereeing decisions”.

Chile exited the tournament after failing to score a single goal. Since 2004, the 2015 and 2016 Copa winners have not been eliminated beyond the quarter-finals of the tournament.