Andrés Rojas, a Colombian referee, has been chosen by Conmebol to officiate the first leg of the Recopa Sul-Americana match between LDU (EQU) and Fluminense in Quito, Ecuador. Rojas was also part of the officiating team in the 2023 Libertadores final, serving as the fourth official in the Boca Juniors (ARG) vs Fluminense match. However, his track record as a head referee is not as impressive.
The Colombian referee has faced issues in the past and was suspended by Conmebol for ‘serious errors’ in a Libertadores match between Boca Juniors and Atlético-MG. In 2021, he disallowed a goal for Boca Juniors in the first leg against Atlético-MG in the round of 16. In the incident, Réver simulated a foul that didn’t happen, denying the Argentinians a legitimate goal.
‘The performances of Mr. Andrés Rojas, head referee, and Mr. Derlis Loes, VAR referee, appointed for the match, were technically analyzed by this committee, concluding that they made serious mistakes in the execution of their duties (…), specifically in the following situation: — 34th min — Disallowed Boca Juniors’ goal for alleged foul. Resolved: to suspend the referees indefinitely,’ stated Conmebol’s press release at the time.
Rojas has previously officiated two matches involving Fluminense, both in the Copa Sul-Americana, against Deportivo Cuenca (EQU) in 2018 and Corinthians in 2019. His performances in both matches were unremarkable.