Universidad Católica players have pushed back against allegations of referee favoritism following a series of disputed decisions in recent Chilean league matches.
Forward Justo Giani addressed the claims on Monday, denying that the club receives preferential treatment from officials. He noted that his frequent protests against referees actually suggest a lack of bias.
“If it were as people say, the truth is I don't see it; I wouldn't get so angry with the referees. I wouldn't argue so much. I spend my time arguing, getting angry. They give me yellows just for complaining,” Giani said.
Recent matches involving Ñublense and Audax Italiano have placed officiating under intense scrutiny. Esteban Matus, a lateral for Ñublense, criticized the disparity in how fouls are penalized against larger clubs.
“It causes helplessness, rage, to be playing well and to have so many refereeing errors. Always with the big teams, you touch them and they call fouls very easily. A ball contested on the ground is a red card. When it is the other way around, they have no intention of seeing it,” Matus stated.
Disparity in officiating criteria
Statistics have fueled the narrative, with Universidad Católica opponents receiving 11 red cards in 12 matches across the Primera División and Copa de la Liga.
Audax Italiano manager Daniel Garnero also noted inconsistencies in how rules are applied across the league. While he avoided direct criticism of specific recent calls, he pointed to a lack of standard criteria compared to international standards.
“The same play in one match is sanctioned, the same play in another match is not sanctioned. The criteria in Europe are held a bit more firmly; here it depends on a lot of things,” Garnero said.
Despite the external noise, Giani maintained that the squad remains focused on performance rather than off-field narratives.
“The reality is that we abstract ourselves from that. They are external comments. When we win, people will talk, and when we lose, people will talk. We don't get into that,” Giani added.