Nicolás Ramírez faces scrutiny over officiating in Superclásico match

Nicolás Ramírez faced intense scrutiny following the Superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate at La Bombonera, where video review decisions and missed penalty calls sparked widespread controversy.

Missed Penalty on Nicolás Otamendi at La Bombonera

During the second half at La Bombonera, with 29 minutes elapsed, River Plate defender Nicolás Otamendi was pulled back by the shirt by Boca Juniors player Lautaro Di Lollo inside the penalty area during a corner kick sequence after losing his position. Ramírez did not award a penalty kick for the challenge. The Video Assistant Referee booth, operated by Silvio Trucco, elected not to intervene or summon Ramírez to the pitchside monitor for a review.

Prior Precedents Involving Nicolás Ramírez

La Página Millonaria highlighted two prior instances where Ramírez whistled for similar shirt-pulling infractions inside the box. In April 2025, during a Clásico del Sur match between Banfield and Lanús, Ramírez awarded a penalty to Lanús after Martín Río pulled Ezequiel Muñoz by the shirt during a corner, also issuing a yellow card to the Banfield player. More recently, during Eduardo Coudet’s debut as manager for Huracán in the Apertura 2026 tournament at Estadio Tomás A. Ducó, Ramírez penalized Martínez Quarta for pulling Jordy Caicedo’s shirt during a set-piece situation.

Disciplinary Decisions and Disputed Carding

Beyond the penalty incident involving Otamendi, the officiating crew faced criticism over additional disciplinary choices in the fixture. Ramírez declined to issue a red card to Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes and later expelled River Plate’s Gonzalo Montiel without a VAR review. Reports noted that Montiel’s dismissal utilized a stricter disciplinary standard than an earlier first-half incident where Boca defender Lautaro Blanco received only a yellow card for a comparable challenge.

More on this story: Gonzalo Montiel receives red card in Boca win over River

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