Referee suspended after VAR controversy at Banfield vs River

International referee, Darío Herrera, who was in charge of VAR in the match between Banfield and River Plate has been suspended from his next match after he incorrectly overturned the referees decision.

The Argentine Association of Referees (AAA) have made the decision to suspend Herrera after a penalty was awarded to River Plate in the second half.

Banfield had been leading 1-0 before their defender Franco Quinteros missed a header, allowing the ball to hit his arm inside the box. The on-field referee, Pablo Echavarría, didn’t award a penalty at the time but was directed by the VAR officials to review the incident and award the penalty.

River Plate’s Enzo Fernandez scored from the spot and before striker Matías Suarez scored in the 66th minute to secure the three points.

AAA’s Secretary General, Francisco Belligoy, publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Herrera’s decision and decided to suspend him indefinitely. Belligoy declared that the “penalty that River was awarded against Banfield did not exist, it was badly sanctioned. That is why since our body takes responsibility for this mistake and we apologize”.