Spanish referee picked to officiate Copa América match

CUIABA, Brazil (AP) — A Spanish refereeing crew was selected Tuesday to officiate a Copa America game as part of an agreement between UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL.

It will be the first time a European crew works a Copa America match, CONMEBOL said.

The same accord will put an Argentinian crew in charge of a European Championship match between Ukraine and North Macedonia on Thursday.

Spaniard Jesús Gil Manzano will be the referee for Friday’s clash between Chile and Bolivia. His assistants at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, Brazil, will be three other Spaniards.

Fernando Rapallini and his Argentinian assistants will work the Euro 2020 match in Bucharest, Romania.

It's part of an effort to “optimize refereeing in both confederations," CONMEBOL said in a statement.

Chile drew 1-1 with Argentina in its first Copa America match, while Bolivia lost 3-1 to Paraguay. Both teams are in group A.

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