Cruz Azul will demand a change of referee for the final against Pumas
Ismael Peñuelas and Daniel Quintero were chosen as the referees for the final, leaving out the World Cup winners César Ramos and Katia Itzel García
Once it has been determined that referee Daniel Quintero Huitrón will be in charge of directing the first leg of the grand final of the Clausura 2026 tournament between Cruz Azul and Pumas, the board of directors of the “Celestial Machine” analyzes protesting against the designation and demanding a new referee for Sunday's duel.
The Referees Commission decided to choose Ismael Peñuelas for the first leg in the Ciudad de los Deportes stadium and for Sunday in Ciudad Universitaria Daniel Quintero Huitrón, leaving out the World Cup players César Ramos and Katia Itzel García, as well as “Gato” Ortiz.
But after learning the name of Daniel Quintero, the Cruz members showed surprise at the designation of Quintero Huitrón, especially because Pumas, in the second leg of the semifinal, had designated Luis Enrique Santander and the feline board challenged the designation so that he could be changed, sending Quintero Huitrón to the duel against Pachuca last Sunday at CU.
In versions close to the celestial leadership under the command of engineer Víctor Velázquez, the cement disagreement does not lie in the person, but in their work; especially after they eliminated Pachuca from the semifinals, there was a small exchange of words where Efrain Juárez dedicated a few words to the whistler, wishing that he would be chosen for the grand final.
Within the leadership they do not understand the decision made by the Referees Commission, especially due to the work done by the central judge in the duel between Pumas and Cruz Azul, a match that left disagreement within the cement institution.
Given this, the leadership headed by Engineer Víctor Velázquez is already analyzing in detail all the referee's background in matches related to Pumas, seeking to understand the criteria that led to his selection for the grand final.
Pumas already reversed a designation and was the driving force to be able to leave Pachuca on the road, for which Cruz Azul, in case of protesting this designation and betting on a new refereeing body, for both games of the grand final.
In fact, the Cruz Azul board will include in the protest some videos where it is clear that the aforementioned whistler is congratulated by Pumas coach Efraín Juárez and motivates him to be present in the grand final of the Clausura 2026 tournament.