Reports from AS confirm that VAR official David Galvez Rascon has received the harshest punishment among referees this round and will be suspended for an indefinite period. The committee removed him from officiating duties for the weekend and imposed an internal "freeze" until further notice.
During the attacking sequence that led to Girona’s 2-1 goal there was a clear collision between Claudio Echeverri and Jules Kounde: the French defender went down, play continued, and the goal was allowed. Barcelona players and staff immediately protested, believing a foul should have been called.
The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) admitted a mistake: it concluded that the intervention on Kounde was reckless and should have resulted in a foul. According to their assessment, the VAR room should have stepped in after the on-field incident and recommended a review. The committee says the entire sequence leading to Girona’s second goal should not have counted.
There are also reports that the committee suspended the VAR referee in the Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad match, who awarded a penalty after a fall (a tweet noted that this decision was also subject to sanctions).
After the match Barcelona figures reacted strongly: several players expressed frustration, and both Hansi Flick and club president Joan Laporta openly criticised the decision, saying the foul on Kounde was obvious and VAR should have intervened.
