Riquelme blames referee calls in Boca’s Libertadores exit as Sudamericana debut nears

Juan Román Riquelme has publicly sharpened his criticism of the refereeing decisions that surrounded Boca Juniors’ Copa Libertadores elimination, arguing that key calls in the matches against Cruzeiro helped push the Argentine club out of the competition.

The Boca president, speaking in comments reported by Ole, said the club could still have been in the Libertadores “if it had not been like that,” referring to disputed incidents in the Cruzeiro fixtures. His remarks came as Boca prepared to turn its attention to the Copa Sudamericana, with a round-of-32 tie against O’Higgins next on the continental calendar.

Riquelme’s comments do not change the result of Boca’s Libertadores campaign, but they reopen a debate that has followed the club since the group-stage exit: whether Boca’s own performances were the central issue, or whether refereeing and VAR decisions materially altered the outcome.

Key facts

What Riquelme said

According to Ole, Riquelme first acknowledged that several factors shape a team’s fate in a tournament: coaching, player decisions on the pitch and luck. He then moved directly to the refereeing in Boca’s games against Cruzeiro.

He pointed to two decisions as especially significant. One involved a sending-off for Bareiro in Brazil, which Riquelme described as harsh. The other centred on incidents at La Bombonera, where Boca felt decisions involving handball were applied inconsistently.

The most direct line from the Boca president was his suggestion that, without those decisions, Boca “maybe” would still have been in the Libertadores. That wording matters: it stops short of a formal claim that the competition result should be overturned, but it clearly places refereeing at the centre of Boca’s explanation for the elimination.

The disputed moments against Cruzeiro

The Ole report highlights two incidents from the match at Boca’s stadium that remain contentious among the club’s supporters.

The first came late in the game, when Miguel Merentiel appeared to have scored to make it 2-1. The referee, Carlos Valenzuela, was sent to the monitor after a VAR intervention for a possible handball earlier in the move. After a review, the goal was disallowed.

Boca’s grievance, as reflected in Riquelme’s comments, is that the decision was not seen inside the club as clear enough to cancel the goal.

The second incident came in the final action of the match. After a header by Ángel Romero, the ball struck the left arm of a Cruzeiro defender inside the penalty area. The referee did not award a penalty, and Ole reports that VAR did not call him for an on-field review. Boca’s complaint is rooted in the contrast between that non-review and the earlier intervention that ruled out Merentiel’s goal.

Because this account is based on Ole’s report and Riquelme’s interpretation, the incidents should be treated as disputed refereeing decisions rather than settled evidence of wrongdoing.

Boca’s own performance still part of the story

Riquelme did not place the entire blame outside the club. Ole reports that he also admitted Boca were below their level in the defeat to Universidad Católica, describing the team as “a little flat” in that match.

That admission is important for readers following Boca’s season. It shows that the club’s leadership is not presenting the Libertadores exit solely as the product of officiating. Boca’s campaign also included a performance issue in a decisive match, and that remains part of the sporting assessment.

Even so, Riquelme’s latest remarks represent a stronger public stance than earlier reactions. Ole frames the comments as the first time since the elimination that he has blamed the refereeing so directly for Boca’s failure to remain in South America’s top club competition.

Why it matters before the Sudamericana

For Boca supporters and neutral followers of South American football, the timing gives the remarks extra weight. Boca are moving into a new continental phase in the Copa Sudamericana, but the Libertadores exit is still shaping the mood around the club.

The Sudamericana can offer Boca a route to continental relevance after Libertadores disappointment, yet Riquelme’s comments underline how much the previous campaign still hangs over the team. If results go against Boca in the next round, the debate may quickly return to squad performance, coaching decisions and the club’s broader football direction. If Boca advance, the Sudamericana may help shift attention away from the refereeing controversy.

For global readers, the episode is also another example of how VAR consistency remains one of the central pressure points in South American club competitions. The question is not only whether a single call was right or wrong, but whether similar handball situations are being reviewed and judged in the same way across different moments of a match.

What remains unconfirmed

Ole’s report provides Riquelme’s quotes and the Boca-facing account of the controversial incidents, but the available material here does not include a fresh official statement from CONMEBOL, the referees’ body or Cruzeiro responding to his remarks.

That limits what can be stated as fact. It is confirmed that Riquelme criticised the officiating in the terms reported by Ole. It is also clear that Boca’s eliminated Libertadores campaign remains a live subject inside the club’s public messaging. What is not established from the provided material is any official admission of refereeing error or disciplinary consequence for the match officials.

The next practical check is whether Boca carry this frustration into their Sudamericana tie through performance rather than public complaint, and whether any competition authority responds to Riquelme’s comments.

Source: Ole — https://www.ole.com.ar/boca-juniors/fuerte-acusacion-riquelme-arbitros-eliminacion-boca-libertadores_0_7j9cV6KEF0.html