Arnaldo Andrés Lezcano Ramírez, 20, was detained by the National Police after punching referee Jorge Junior Villalba Ortíez in the face, causing a cheekbone fracture. The assault occurred at the end of a match of the Liga Caaguazú de Futebol, at the Club 8 de Diciembre field in the Santa Isabel neighborhood. The player attempted to flee but was captured a few blocks away and remains at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Cerro Porteño de Caaguazú
Club de fútbol juvenil de Caaguazú, Paraguay.
A football player was detained after assaulting a referee during a youth match between 8 de Diciembre and Cerro Porteño de Caaguazú, causing a facial fracture to the official.
With Olimpia already champions, three clubs – Nacional, Cerro Porteño and Sportivo Ameliano – dispute second place in the final round of the 2026 Torneo Apertura this Sunday.
The penultimate round of the Paraguayan Torneo Apertura continues this Saturday with the only match between Guaraní and Ameliano. Meanwhile, Cerro Porteño and Nacional compete for the runner-up spot, and Olimpia, already champions, won agonizingly against Recoleta.
Cerro Porteño coach Ariel Holan criticized the team's performance after the loss to Sportivo Trinidense and asked for the Torneo Apertura to end quickly. The focus is now on the Copa Sudamericana.
Coach Ariel Holan expressed skepticism about the return of full-back Blas Riveros, injured since February, causing apprehension in the Paraguayan national team less than a month before the World Cup.
Cerro Porteño coach Ariel Holan stated that left-back Blas Riveros will hardly return to the pitch before the end of the Apertura 2026, contradicting the expectation generated by the player's social media posts and his inclusion in the Paraguayan national team's preliminary list for the World Cup.
After losing to Sportivo Trinidense in the Apertura 2026, coach Ariel Holan justified fielding starters as a form of training and criticized the physical disparity of the squad inherited from the previous management, aiming for qualification to the Libertadores round of 16.