Gustavo Tejera to Referee São Paulo-Boca Second Leg, and Boca's Record With Him Is Spotless

Boca already banked a slim but valuable advantage at La Bombonera, and now the club has to close out the tie in Brazil. For that job, CONMEBOL has already picked the referee, and it's a name that has sounded good to the Xeneize before.

Uruguayan official Gustavo Tejera was confirmed this Friday to take charge of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal second leg between São Paulo and Boca, set for Tuesday, September 15, at 9:30 p.m. at the Morumbí stadium. The tie remains open but tilts in favor of Miguel Ángel Russo's side, who won 1-0 last Tuesday thanks to a goal from fellow Uruguayan Miguel Merentiel.

The curious part is that the whole officiating crew will carry a Uruguayan accent: Tejera will be joined by countryman Leodán González running the VAR. For Boca, that shouldn't raise any alarm bells. This will be the third time Tejera has refereed the team, and so far Boca has never lost with him on the field: they beat Always Ready 2-0 in 2022, downed Trinidense 1-0 in 2024 (the only direct precedent in this very Sudamericana), and defeated Universidad Católica 2-1 last April in the Copa Libertadores.

Bad news for São Paulo, then? Not really. The Tricolor has never lost with Tejera as referee either: they beat Racing 3-1 in Avellaneda and drew 0-0 with Atlético Nacional in Colombia. So, statistically speaking, whichever side snaps its own unbeaten run with him is the one that will book a spot in the semifinals.

A Referee With an International Resume

Tejera is no stranger to big occasions. His resume includes the second leg of the Recopa Sudamericana final, when Lanús beat Flamengo right at the Maracaná, and he was also part of the recent 2026 World Cup held across the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he took charge of Mexico's win over South Korea and Egypt's penalty shootout victory over Australia to advance.

Not all of his recent assignments have ended well, though. Last year he was appointed for the Independiente-Universidad de Chile match that was abandoned amid serious crowd violence in the stands at Avellaneda, a game that will be remembered for reasons that had nothing to do with soccer.

Quarterfinal matchday will also feature Argentine officials in two other ties: Facundo Tello will referee Atlético Mineiro-Santos, while Nicolás Ramírez will take charge in Montevideo City Torque-Cienciano.

With the 1-0 lead in hand and a referee who so far has never seen them lose, Boca knows that more than just a result is on the line at the Morumbí: a spot in the Sudamericana semifinals is at stake.