An Argentine goalkeeper made an extraordinary protest during a dramatic Copa Simón Bolívar clash after his side were awarded a controversial penalty against them in stoppage time.
Have you ever seen a goalkeeper deliberately refuse to attempt a penalty save?
That is exactly what happened in Bolivia as Gustavo Tesonotte stood by his post, turned his back on the ball and watched an opponent score from the spot.
The extraordinary scenes came during Wilstermann Cooperativas' Copa Simón Bolívar clash with Independiente Cochabamba.
With the match level at 2-2, referee Carlos Arteaga pointed to the spot after deciding Tesonotte had fouled an Independiente player inside the penalty area.
Wilstermann's players were furious.
And their protests would continue for almost 20 minutes before the penalty was eventually taken.
Why Did the Penalty Spark Almost 20 Minutes of Protests?
The incident occurred in the closing stages of the match, with everything still to play for at 2-2.
An Independiente attacker entered the area and came into contact with Tesonotte as the goalkeeper came out to challenge for the ball.
Arteaga judged that the goalkeeper had committed a foul and immediately awarded a penalty.
The Wilstermann players strongly disagreed.
Rather than accepting the decision and getting on with the spot-kick, the players surrounded the referee and protested the call.
The dispute dragged on, with the match remaining stopped for around 20 minutes.
Eventually, the penalty was allowed to go ahead.
But by then, Tesonotte had decided not to attempt the save.
Why Did Gustavo Tesonotte Refuse to Save the Penalty?
As Independiente's Ernesto Adiri prepared to take the penalty, Tesonotte moved towards his goal.
But he didn't take up the usual position between the posts.
Instead, the Argentine goalkeeper stood by the right-hand post with his back turned towards the penalty taker.
He wasn't going to try to save it.
Adiri stepped up and calmly converted, giving Independiente a 3-2 lead.
The image of Tesonotte standing to one side as the ball hit the net quickly became the defining moment of the match.
It was an extraordinary visual protest and one that made it clear just how strongly Wilstermann felt about the original decision.
Why Was Referee Carlos Arteaga Suspended?
The story did not end with the final whistle.
Following the match, Bolivia's National Referees Commission reviewed the incident involving Arteaga.
The commission subsequently suspended the referee indefinitely from FBF competitions during the 2026 season.
Its assessment was significant.
The commission determined that the penalty had been incorrectly awarded, describing it as an “inexistent” penalty resulting from a normal challenge and stating that the decision had directly influenced the final result.
That meant Tesonotte's extraordinary protest was followed by an official ruling that backed up the central complaint made by Wilstermann's players.
Can a Goalkeeper Refuse to Attempt a Penalty Save?
There is also an interesting technical element to Tesonotte's protest.
Under the Laws of the Game, a goalkeeper must be on the goal line, between the posts and facing the penalty taker until the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper is not, however, physically required to dive or make an attempt to save the ball.
There is an important distinction, though.
The goalkeeper cannot touch the posts, crossbar or goal net before the penalty is taken. So while a goalkeeper can choose not to attempt a save, their positioning still has to comply with the requirements of Law 14.
In Tesonotte's case, the protest was therefore as much about the message as the penalty itself.
He was effectively saying that he did not accept the decision that had put his team in that position.
How the Extraordinary Penalty Protest Ended
Football matches rarely end with a goalkeeper deliberately allowing a penalty to go in.
Even rarer is seeing it happen after almost 20 minutes of protests over the decision — only for the referee involved to subsequently receive an indefinite suspension.
Tesonotte's decision meant there was never really any doubt about the outcome of the spot-kick.
Adiri scored.
Independiente won 3-2.
But it was the goalkeeper standing beside his post, refusing to participate in the penalty, that produced the moment everyone was talking about afterwards.
What began as a controversial late decision ended with one of the most unusual penalty protests football has seen.
And the subsequent refereeing decision ensured the controversy did not end when the final whistle blew.
