Otamendi fumes after Superclásico loss: 'Argentine football is being ruined'

River captain Otamendi furious after Superclásico loss, blaming refereeing decisions including two red cards and a denied penalty.

River Plate lost 1-0 to Boca Juniors in the Superclásico at La Bombonera on Sunday, with Lautaro Di Lollo scoring the decisive goal. The match was marred by controversial refereeing, with Lucas Martínez Quarta sent off after ten minutes for a foul on a breaking player, and Gonzalo Montiel receiving a red card late in the game for a flying tackle.

River captain Nicolás Otamendi was incensed by the officiating, claiming there was a double standard in how the match was refereed. He highlighted a denied penalty that he believed he should have been awarded after being pushed and pulled in Boca's box, saying it wasn't even reviewed. "That makes you angry, because Argentine football doesn't get the prestige it deserves," the 38-year-old defender said. "Argentine football is being ruined."

Otamendi expressed frustration at the lack of a level playing field, sarcastically suggesting that the Argentine refereeing commission should simply decide the champion before matches are played. Despite the loss, he acknowledged River didn't play as they wanted, but insisted Boca didn't perform well enough to claim superiority.