CONMEBOL Rejects Flamengo’s Protest Over Marcos Rojo’s Semifinal Appearance

Estudiantes de La Plata said on October 28 that CONMEBOL’s Disciplinary Commission had rejected Flamengo’s protest over Marcos Rojo’s participation in their Copa Libertadores semifinal. The Argentine club said the commission also rejected the Brazilian club’s request for interim measures. The announcement concerns the challenge to Rojo’s fielding in the tie that sent Estudiantes into the final. Estudiantes said the commission had “rejected in full” Flamengo’s complaint alleging the player had been improperly fielded. The club published its announcement on its website and official social account. Its statement reported the disciplinary decision without setting out the commission’s detailed reasoning. Flamengo’s own match report records a 0–0 draw in the semifinal’s second leg at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on October 22, followed by a 3–2 penalty-shootout defeat. Rojo was listed in Estudiantes’ starting lineup. Estudiantes played much of the second half with ten players after Baltasar Rodríguez received a second yellow card. The Argentine Football Association said on October 23 that Estudiantes would meet Palmeiras in the final on November 28 in Montevideo, Uruguay. It recorded that both semifinal legs had ended scoreless. Earlier in the competition, Estudiantes eliminated Universidad de Chile after a 1–1 home draw and a 3–0 away win, then beat Corinthians following a 1–1 home draw and a 1–0 victory in São Paulo.