Meanwhile, the Llaneros, led by Martín Cardetti, celebrated their 2-0 victory over Quindío at the Bello Horizonte stadium, securing their place in the final where they will face Orsomarso. The joy of Llaneros contrasted with the sadness of Unión Magdalena, whose final dreams faded at the General Santander stadium.
The controversy broke out in the 25th minute of the match when Lucas Ríos scored the first goal for Cúcuta, clearly offside. However, neither the central referee, Nolberto Ararat, nor the linesman, Fabián Orozco, sanctioned the infraction, validating the goal. This decision provoked immediate and energetic reactions from the Unión Magdalena camp.
In the press conference after the match, technical director Álvaro Hernández Uribe expressed his frustration: “It is a clear offside. We know the difficulty in the tournament due to refereeing, decisions that could not fail and less so in such a crucial match, but hey, we always try to be above that and we tried.”
The team captain, Cristian Sención, also expressed his discontent: “I don’t want to delve so deeply into the issue of refereeing. I spoke with the central judge on the field and, sometimes, the answers they give are regrettable. Anyway, that’s it. Everything remains on the field of play. He and the linesman will know what happened.” His words reflect the indignation and frustration shared by the team and its fans.
Specialists also joined in the criticism. ‘The VAR Central’ published: “IT SHOULD NOT BE VALID: Assistant Fabián Orozco let this clear offside pass and validated a goal for Cúcuta. It is the definitive date in B, but there is no VAR. The worst happened: this goal left Unión Magdalena eliminated from the final.” José Borda, refereeing analyst, added: “GROSS ERROR. In the B game, Cúcuta Deportivo vs. Unión Magdalena, the first goal for Lucas Ríos’ local team, was clearly offside and the lineman, Fabián Orozco, validated it. “Although there is no VAR in this Tournament, nothing justifies the gross mistake that the assistant made in the middle of this match.”
Complaint to the Arbitration Commission
The president of Unión Magdalena, Alberto Mario Garzón, confirmed through social networks that he has submitted a formal complaint to the Arbitration Commission. “We feel cheated; Cúcuta’s first goal was clearly offside. I have also requested a special hearing before the members of the Commission, to support our arguments,” Garzón published, underlining the team’s indignation at the refereeing error that they suffered. It cost us a place in the final.
The football community hopes that the Referee Commission will take the complaint into account and carry out a review of the referee’s performance in this match, while Unión Magdalena.
