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ATLANTA (special envoy).- There is less and less time left until the debut of the Argentine team in the Copa América, where it defends the title won at the Maracaná in 2021. It will be this Thursday, at 9 p.m. in our country, against Canada, in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. While we are still looking at the lineups for both teams and there are a couple of practices left to define them, there is already certainty who will be the referee of the match. Conmebol reported that Venezuelan Jesús Valenzuela will be the highest authority on the playing field.
What background does Valenzuela have as a match referee in Argentina? Not only is he an old acquaintance of our team, but he was the protagonist in unforgettable chapters in the recent history of the Scaloneta. Born in the city of Portuguesa 40 years ago, this Venezuelan was in six matches for the Argentine team, with a very favorable balance: three wins and three draws for the albiceleste.
The first time was in 2016 (qualifiers for Russia 2018), at the Mario Kempes stadium, where Argentina beat Bolivia 2-0 with goals from Messi and Mercado; the second, in the qualifiers for Qatar, in 2021, a 1-1 draw against Chile.
He would then referee two matches for Argentina in the 2021 Copa América, in Brazil. The first, the long-suffering victory against Paraguay by 1 to 0. Then, an unforgettable match: the semi-final against Colombia, which established Dibu Martínez as a penalty saver (and showman). On that occasion, Dibu stood out for having spoken to the Colombian kickers, saved three shots and patented the phrase “look how I eat you.”
Valenzuela also participated in another controversial meeting. The one that was suspended between Brazil and Argentina in 2021, corresponding to the qualifiers for Qatar. On that occasion, health officials from San Pablo burst onto the playing field as soon as the match began to report that Argentine soccer players had violated the restrictions due to the pandemic. Ultimately, the match was never played again.
The last time Valenzuela led Argentina was in 2023, in the qualifying match against Peru, at the National Stadium in Lima, where Scaloni’s team won 2-0 with a double from Lionel Messi.
Argentina matches directed by Jesús Valenzuela:
