América de Cali Slams Wilmar Roldán's Officiating Again After Ibagué Clash

One video. That's all it took for América de Cali to reignite controversy in the Liga BetPlay, posting it to social media a day after visiting Deportes Tolima in Ibagué. The clip compiles plays and refereeing decisions that, according to the club itself, have been working against them throughout the tournament.

The message accompanying the post left no doubt about the tone of the protest: "After everything we've experienced, the response remains the same. Together we will always answer, América." A short phrase, but one that captures the frustration among fans and club officials over the officiating of Wilmar Roldán, who drew criticism from several analysts after the final whistle in Ibagué.

So what exactly happened in that match? Things got heated early. In the 36th minute, Jhon Murillo was shown a straight red card on a play that, in the eyes of most observers, warranted nothing more than a yellow. The call sparked such an outcry that América's sporting director, Iván Vélez, was also sent off after making his disagreement with the referee clear.

An Even Match in Numbers, But Not in Controversy

Tolima didn't finish with a full squad either. In the 91st minute, following a VAR review, the home side was reduced to ten men after Roldán revisited a foul by one of their attackers that he had initially not deemed serious enough to punish. In total, the night produced three red cards and four VAR interventions, along with disallowed goals that only fueled the debate further.

What stands out is that this isn't the first time América says it's been hurt by red cards this season. In the previous matchday, playing at home at the Pascual Guerrero, Jean Fernandes was sent off before halftime, and Tolima, well, in that case it was the opposing side that capitalized: Diego Chávez took advantage of the numerical edge to head home the only goal of the match.

The string of refereeing controversies also coincided with the team's first real stumble of the season: América fell 0-1 to Deportivo Pasto, ending its unbeaten run in the 2026-II Liga BetPlay.

Complaints aside, and despite playing a man down for long stretches in back-to-back matches, the number that matters most in the standings tells a different story: América de Cali remains the league leader with 21 points. The refereeing controversy will keep generating headlines, but for now it hasn't cost the club top spot.