Atlético-MG takes the field this Tuesday (10/21), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), against Independiente Del Valle, at the Banco Guayaquil Stadium, in Ecuador. The refereeing is against Carlos Betancur, a Colombian who is not well known in South American football.
With this, the Sporting News provides more details about who the referee is and their refereeing style.
MORE: Independiente del Valle x Atlético-MG LIVE: watch the game online for free
Who is Carlos Betancur?
The Colombian began his professional career in 2012, when he was 30 years old, Betancur was promoted to the FIFA referee panel in 2018. This qualified him to play in the entity’s official competitions, including the South American Under-17 and the Libertadores Under-20.
In a short time, he began to be selected more regularly to officiate in major tournaments, such as the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores.
Betancur’s style is described as one that favors continuity of play (“letting the game flow”), but he is also known for being strict disciplinary. According to data from “Transfermarkt”, in his last 256 appearances, the Colombian referee issued 1384 yellow cards, which establishes an average of 5.4 warnings per game.
During that same period, Betancur also handed out 80 red cards, with 36 for direct sending off and 44 as a result of a second yellow card.
👀 The Colombian Carlos Betancur will be the dono do apito for Independiente del Valle and @Atletico soon!
The assistants will be Richard Ortiz (COL) and Miguel Roldan (COL). The video referee will be Heider Castro (COL).#FalaFalo pic.twitter.com/nJdQJT93XY
— Fala Galo | Atlético News (@Falagalo13) October 21, 2025
Bentancur Games
This year, Betancur has already refereed two Sul-Americana and two Libertadores games. One of these Libertadores matches was the clash between São Paulo and Libertad, which ended in a 1-1 draw. It will be Atlético-MG’s first duel in which he is on the whistle.
Independiente del Valle x Atlético-MG: arbitration
- Arbitrator: Carlos Betancur (Colombia)
- Assistant 1: Richard Ortiz (Colombia)
- Assistant 2: Miguel Roldan (Colombia)
- OUR: Heider Castro (Colombia)
- Fourth referee: Diego Ulloa (Colombia)
