The Referee Commission of the Mexican Football Federation addressed the criticism and controversy by rejecting that the VAR rules were violated by the presence of an outsider in their Review booth during the match where Pumas defeated Atletico San Luis 0-2

With their statement, they sought to silence all the criticism and questions that arose after the publication of a video showing a strange person inside the VAR booth, trying to influence the referee's decision. The referee had initially awarded a penalty, but it was ultimately awarded as a free kick, which Jordan Carrillo converted for Pumas to defeat Atletico San Luis 0-2.

The action would have gone unnoticed had a video not appeared on social media showing this person, supposedly identified as Horacio Elizondo, a former Argentine international referee who now serves as the head of refereeing in Mexico. This sparked countless criticisms and questions about the moral integrity of referees in Liga MX.

It was immediately suggested that this was not just another technical error, but a flagrant violation of the competition regulations and, above all, a serious breach of refereeing protocols. Liga MX and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)

According to FIFA protocol and Appendix IV of the Liga MX Competition Regulations, no executive or official outside the refereeing team may enter the booth or have contact with the VAR members while the game is in progress.

The Referees Committee's Justification

The Referees Committee's stance on this controversy was swift, dismissing any violation of FIFA protocols and, even worse, any influence on the VAR members, disregarding the evidence that had been circulating on social media for hours.

“In response to reports circulating about an alleged violation of the FIFA protocol in the San Luis vs. Pumas match, the Referees Commission clarifies that no regulatory infraction occurred,” however, they do not accompany their clarification with any evidence, but simply provide a brief statement.

In the same statement, they also emphasized that: “The VAR protocol includes the presence of authorized personnel to supervise and guarantee compliance with the Laws of the Game. This procedure was correctly applied in this match, without any undue intervention or breach of the guidelines established by FIFA.”

The referees' high command also fails to mention the name of Horacio Elizondo in their justification, even though it is evident that he is the person who entered the VAR booth, which the protocol does not allow, unless the former Argentine international referee has implemented a change in the rules in recent months.