Argentine referee Facundo Tello warmed up his left arm for the World Cup on Sunday by sending off 10 players in a domestic cup final.
The trigger-happy official dismissed the stars during Racing Club's 2-1 win against Boca Juniors in the Trofeo de Campeones de la Superliga final. Seven of the red cards were shown in the aftermath of teenager Carlos Alcaraz's last-gasp winner in extra-time.
Tello's willingness to dismiss players may concern international chiefs ahead of the World Cup, as the 40-year-old is on FIFA's list of referees for the tournament. It's just 13 days until hosts Qatar play Ecuador in the opening game at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Boca took the lead at the Estadio Parque La Pedrera in the 19th minute when Armenia international Norberto Briasco scored with a left-footed strike. Yet Racing were back on level terms just moments later thanks to Paraguayan Matias Rojas' long-range strike.
Neither team could find a breakthrough in normal time, which ended with some handbags between Boca's Sebastian Villa and Racing's Johan Carbonero. A lot of referees would've waved play on - but not Tello, who ordered the players to take an early shower.
Racing gained a numerical advantage in the 100th minute when Alan Varela was dismissed. The Avellaneda club made that count in the dying minutes of extra-time, as Alcaraz popped up to score a header and claim their first trophy in three years.
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Yet Alcaraz's celebrations in front of the Boca fans angered the opposition players and another row broke out. Tello dismissed the apologetic teenager before sending off his team-mate Jonathan Galvan to leave the winners with just eight players.
In terms of Boca's dismissals, Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Diego Gonzalez, Frank Fabra and Dario Benedetto were all shown their marching orders to leave the Argentina giants with four players left on the pitch. Somehow, the game was completed.
Boca players are accused of grabbing Alcaraz by the ear and throwing a ball at him for his overzealous celebrations. It's unclear if the Argentine FA will take action against either side for the chaos - or if Tello will be criticised for sending off so many players.
Tello is an experienced official after taking charge of his first Argentine Primera Division game in 2013. He's been on FIFA and CONMEBOL's lists of referees since 2019 and officiated a match between Jordan and Morocco at the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021.
A total of 36 referees, 69 assistants and VAR officials have been selected for the World Cup - including Premier League regulars Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver. Tello will be one of two Argentines at the tournament, with Fernando Rapallini being the other.
This year's World Cup will be a historic one for refereeing, as France's Stephanie Frappart will become the first female European to referee at a men's World Cup. Frappart is known for officiating the 2019 European Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool.
