Albacete fume over VAR decisions and video screen manipulation
Albacete Balompié have issued a strongly-worded statement challenging recent refereeing decisions and the misuse of stadium video screens by rival clubs.
Spanish second-tier side Albacete have finally lost their rag with officiating standards, releasing a statement that calls out dodgy decisions and rivals’ gamesmanship.
The Manchegan club have taken the unusual step of going public with grievances they’d previously kept behind closed doors, citing a responsibility to their supporters.
Breaking their silence
Albacete have traditionally preferred handling disputes through proper channels, maintaining what they called “institutional loyalty” to the Spanish FA, LaLiga and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). But recent events have pushed them to air their dirty laundry in public.
The statement reveals they’ve been in regular contact with CTA president Fran Soto about concerns over decisions in LaLiga Hypermotion matches, both affecting them directly and in other fixtures.
Recent controversies
The club highlighted several contentious calls that have gone against them:
- A penalty incident involving Lazo at Zubieta
- A handball not given in their favour at Nuevo José Zorrilla
- Most significantly, a disallowed goal for Víctor Valverde at Riazor which they found “very difficult to understand”
Following the Riazor match, Albacete immediately expressed their dissatisfaction to the CTA about decisions they believe showed unequal treatment between the teams.
Fighting back
The club isn’t just having a moan – they’re taking action on two fronts:
-
Challenging a yellow card: They’re appealing against Agus Medina’s booking in the final moments at Riazor, claiming TV footage contradicts the referee’s report that accused their player of simulation.
-
Video screen manipulation: Albacete have initiated complaints to both the RFEF and LaLiga about clubs misusing stadium video screens to increase pressure on officials reviewing incidents – a violation of Article 33 of the RFEF Competition Regulations.
Scheduling woes
The statement also addresses the scheduling of Friday and Monday matches, which has prevented travelling support from attending away games in numbers. The club has raised this issue with LaLiga’s Competitions Department, who’ve apparently promised fair distribution of fixtures by season’s end.
Albacete believe they’re not just standing up for themselves but fighting for the “values of equity, justice and integrity” in LaLiga Hypermotion.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen clubs in Spain’s bread and butter having a right old barney about officials, but Albacete’s approach – initially trying the diplomatic route before going public – shows they’re proper cheesed off with how things have gone.