(Reuters) – Uruguay’s Penarol played Sunday’s first division match against Boston River with a jagged line cut into their pitch, in protest at having two goals disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at another game earlier this month.
Ground staff cut the line across one of the penalty areas to illustrate the club’s anger at losing 1-0 to Danubio nine days ago after the VAR struck off their two goals.
“We made a cut to disguise the lines drawn against Penarol with the VAR,” club president Ignacio Ruglio told a local television programme, accusing the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) and referees of targeting Penarol.
Penarol, who won 2-1 on Sunday, have withdrawn all of their officials from AUF bodies and called for the members of the Referees Commission to be removed.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; editing by Clare Fallon)
