Nicolás Gallo Barragán (August 9, 1986) is a Colombian soccer referee who has been a FIFA international referee since 2018.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
| Full name | Nicolás Gallo Barragán | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
9 August 1986[1] Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia[1] | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2011– | Categoría Primera A | Referee | |
| 2018– | FIFA | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2018– | FIFA | Referee | |
Biography
editBorn in Ibagué, he made his debut in Colombia during the 2011 Liga DIMAYOR Clausura Tournament.[8][9]
In 2021, he was part of the officiating team at the 2020 Summer Olympic, held in Tokyo, Japan, and postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11]
As the video assistant referee (VAR) official in 2021, during a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Paraguay and Uruguay, which was tied 0–0, the video referee upheld the incorrect disallowance of a goal by Uruguay’s Jonathan Rodríguez in the first half.[12][13]
Roldán was the assistant referee who flagged the offside on Jonathan Rodríguez’s goal attempt, and Gallo reviewed the video and confirmed the on-field decision.[14][15][16] Due to the error, CONMEBOL suspended the Colombian referees.[14][17]
He was the only Colombian referee at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, having been selected to join the VAR team.[18] For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, he was once again selected to be part of the VAR team as a representative of CONMEBOL.[19][20] In addition to Nicolás, two other Colombian referees were selected: Andrés Rojas as the head referee and Alexander Guzmán as an assistant referee.[3][21][22]
References
edit- 1 2 Hernández, Osvaldo (June 10, 2026). "Nicolás Gallo, orgullo colombiano que debuta en su segundo Mundial: será VAR en el partido México - Sudáfrica". La Patria. Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Patiño, Ricardo (September 17, 2017). "Nicolás Gallo, a mostrarse como árbitro en el exterior". La Patria (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- 1 2 "Espanha x Arábia Saudita: onde assistir e escalações do jogo da Copa do Mundo". ESPN.com. June 21, 2026. Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Conmebol divulga áudio do VAR de expulsão de Murilo em Palmeiras x Athletico-PR; veja o diálogo". ESPN.com. September 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Palmeiras revê árbitro que 'salvou' contra o River; veja quem apita semis". Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 3, 2022. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Flamengo x Estudiantes: Conmebol divulga áudio do VAR de expulsão de Plata". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 19, 2025. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Baptista, Luiz (September 19, 2025). "Nota Oficial - Flamengo". CR Flamengo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on February 11, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Ortiz, Óskar (July 8, 2025). "Quién es Nicolás Gallo, árbitro colombiano en controversia por penalti en Mundial de Clubes". Pulzo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Harold Perilla crítica el arbitraje de Nicolás Gallo y quiere volver al FPC, ¿qué dijo?". Semana (in Spanish). May 11, 2022. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Nicolás Gallo". Olympedia. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Coronavírus: Olimpíada de Tóquio é adiada para 2021". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Uruguai 0 x 0 Paraguai | Eliminatórias da Copa - América do Sul: melhores momentos". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grupo Globo. June 3, 2021. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "¿Por qué está mal anulado el gol de Jonathan Rodríguez ante Paraguay?". ESPN.com (in Spanish). June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- 1 2 "Conmebol suspende auxiliar e árbitro do VAR que anularam gol legal do Uruguai contra o Paraguai". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grupo Globo. June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Conmebol suspende a árbitros tras gol anulado a 'Cabecita' con Uruguay". Milenio (in Spanish). April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "El audio del VAR en la gran polémica de las Eliminatorias: por qué estuvo mal anulado el gol de Uruguay ante Paraguay". Infobae (in Spanish). June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Zabala, Daniel (June 4, 2021). "Conmebol suspende a Nicolás Gallo por garrafal error en partido de Uruguay". La FM (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Así es Nicolás Gallo, el árbitro colombiano que estará en el VAR en el Mundial de Qatar". Diario AS (in Spanish). November 16, 2022. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Lesnok, Guilherme (June 11, 2026). "VAR, expulsões e inglês: Wilton Pereira Sampaio é protagonista na abertura da Copa do Mundo". Lance! (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on June 18, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Wilton Pereira Sampaio é escalado para apitar jogo de abertura da Copa 2026". Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). June 8, 2026. Archived from the original on June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Brennan, Joe (June 21, 206). "Who is the referee today for Spain vs Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup?". AS USA. Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Carlos (June 19, 2026). "FIFA Selects Three Colombian Referees for World Cup 2026". Colombia One. Archived from the original on June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.