The exotic reappearance of referee Fernando Rapallini: he booked Cristiano Ronaldo, but conceded a penalty to score his first goal

The reappearance of fernando rapallini in an official match, after the controversial refereeing in the International Super Cup between Boca and Racing played in Abu Dhabi, It didn’t happen in Argentina. Away from the national territory and crossing the African continent, the picture of the Argentine judge, who participated in the World Cup in Qatar, took place in an exotic place: Saudi Arabiato lead the game played by Al Nasserthat has Cristiano Ronaldo, Augustine Rossi AND Gonzalo “Pietà” Martinez, among their ranks, for the League.

On 20 January Rapallini had an unfortunate performance, full of controversy, in the final of International Super Cup who ended up crowning Racing after beating Boca 2-1, in Abu Dhabi. The main focus of criticism was the penalty awarded for the Academy, which gave the heartbreaking victory to the Avellaneda team, there are only a few minutes left until the end of regulation time. In a play that has led to many interpretations, Rapallini did not go to the VAR to review it and for a long time it was a point to be questioned.

Since then, Rapallini He did not drive into Argentine territory again. For the first round of the Professional Soccer League, the World Cup referee was not called to do justice in any of the 14 matches played, initially because he went directly from Abu Dhabi to Conmebol for a pre-season preparation course, before start of the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana. But the return to the field, which took place in the Arab League, directed the match that ended with a 2-2 draw between the Al Nasser of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine goalkeeper Augustine Rossi AND Gonzalo Martinez against Al Fateh.

During the match, the linesman who accompanied Rapallini denied him the first official goal for Cristiano’s team, after disallowing him for a clear forward position which was confirmed by the VAR team, led by Mauro Vigliano.

When the game seemed to close with a 2-1 defeat for the team led by Agustín Rossi and Pity Martínez, Rapallini has decided to concede a controversial penalty Obviously Cristiano Ronaldo took care of it, who with a shot in the middle was in charge of converting his first official goal – he had already done it twice in the friendly against PSG-.

Furthermore, a few seconds earlier, the Argentine referee had booked the Portuguese striker after a cross with his rival and sent off the author of Al Nasser’s first goal, Anderson Talisca.

This party is not the first who led Saudi Arabia this year, like him Rapallini had been the protagonist in the final of the Saudi Super Cup which Al Ittihad lifted after beating Al Feiha 2-0. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, for the second appointment of the LPF he was not named to direct.

The story of the referees who led the Saudi Arabian League has several chapters. During 2020, after his great performance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the referee retired Nestor Pitana He was an attendee on Date 24, as Argentine football was undergoing a shutdown. Peculiarities? Like Rapallini, he directed a party of Al Nasser which, on that occasion, wriggled 4-1 in Al Taawoun.