Hours after Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat in Girona, discussion continues about an incident that may have shaped the match.
The controversy centers on Claudio Echeverri stamping on Barcelona’s Jules Koundé during the build-up to Fran Beltrán’s goal, which ultimately secured Girona’s victory.
Despite the Argentine’s stamp being clear, referee César Soto Grado did not call a foul and allowed play to continue. Much to many people’s surprise, the VAR also chose not to intervene even after the move led to a goal for the hosts.
According to Mundo Deportivo, within the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) there is no doubt VAR should have intervened once the goal was scored, after Soto Grado failed to sanction the infringement. The stamp is considered clear and part of the same attacking phase that led to the goal.
The committee believes David Galvez, the specialist VAR referee appointed for the match, should have alerted the match official to review the action on the monitor, as there were sufficient grounds to disallow Girona’s second goal. Under the intervention criteria the CTA has applied since the start of the season, this is not an action open to interpretation: if the on-field referee does not see it, VAR must advise a review. The committee reviews incidents and procedures weekly to remove doubts. This refereeing error will not feature in tonight’s "Tiempo de Revisión" programme, as incidents are selected on Sunday, but it may be included in next week’s edition.
