Boca Juniors' bizarre double kick-off in Copa Sudamericana match goes unnoticed

In an unusual turn of events during the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16, Boca Juniors committed a regulatory anomaly by taking the initial kick-off in both halves of their match against Recoleta FC. This maneuver, explicitly forbidden by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), went unnoticed by the referee, Piero Maza, and the players involved.

The match, held at Huracán's Tomás Adolfo Ducó stadium, saw the Argentine team execute the same play to start both the first and second halves. In both instances, Miguel Merentiel passed the ball back to Leandro Paredes, who then put it into play from outside the center circle. The game proceeded without any apparent objections or interventions from the officiating team.

Following the match, midfielder Leandro Paredes confirmed the team's awareness of the infraction. When questioned by ESPN, he stated, "Yes, we realized. The referee said Boca was kicking off, so we kicked off." This admission highlights the referee's role in initiating play, even when a procedural error is evident.

The IFAB's Law 8 clearly outlines the procedure for kick-offs, determined by a pre-match coin toss. The winner chooses to attack a specific goal or take the first kick-off. In the second half, teams switch ends, and the kick-off is automatically awarded to the team that did not initiate the first half. In this case, Boca Juniors should have ceded the second-half kick-off to Recoleta FC. Despite this clear violation, the error is unlikely to result in a sporting sanction for Boca Juniors, as it stems from a procedural oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to gain an unfair advantage.

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Yes, we realized. The referee said Boca was kicking off, so we kicked off.