VAR controversy: Spanish refs back Cubarsí goal decision but ignore Vinicius penalties
The Spanish refereeing committee defends their decisions in the latest 'Review Time' video, addressing controversial calls while skipping Real Madrid penalty claims.
Spanish football’s weekly refereeing soap opera continues as officials attempt to explain their most contentious decisions while conveniently sidestepping others.
The Cubarsí goal saga continues
The Spanish Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has doubled down on their decision to disallow Cubarsí’s goal in the Copa del Rey, blaming a communication breakdown rather than admitting any error of judgment.
In their weekly ‘Review Time’ video, the committee claimed they were “victims” of a system failure, stating: “There was a human error and the proper communication channel wasn’t opened.”
They further explained that VAR officials weren’t aware of the system failure until four minutes and three seconds later – hardly a ringing endorsement of Spanish football’s technological capabilities, is it?
Vinicius penalties? What penalties?
Notably absent from the CTA’s analysis were the two penalties awarded to Vinicius Jr in Real Madrid’s match against Real Sociedad. The committee chose not to address these decisions despite their controversial nature, leaving Madridistas wondering about the selection criteria for these reviews.
Equally, Barcelona fans’ complaints about Girona’s second goal against them – where they believe Koundé was fouled in the build-up – weren’t addressed. However, this match being played on Monday means it would only feature in next week’s review (if the CTA deems it worthy of analysis).
At least they admitted one mistake
Credit where it’s due, the committee did acknowledge one error in Primera División. They admitted that referee Cuadra Fernández got it wrong in the Espanyol-Celta match by disallowing Borja Iglesias’ goal.
According to the CTA, the goal should have stood as Espanyol player El Hilali’s touch validated Iglesias’ position – a rare moment of transparency in what’s otherwise been another week of selective analysis from Spanish football’s officiating body.
The pattern continues to be clear: some decisions merit explanation, others are conveniently overlooked. For fans across Spain, the inconsistency in these reviews only fuels the frustration with refereeing standards that’s becoming as much a part of Spanish football as tiki-taka and late kick-offs.