Rayo Vallecano Faces Controversy Over VAR Error in Draw Against Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano was embroiled in controversy after the 1-1 draw against Barcelona, due to a failure in the VAR system that prevented a penalty from being reviewed in favor of the Catalan team. Lamine Yamal scored from the penalty spot in the 40th minute, following a play that generated doubts among the Rayo players, who considered that the decision should be overturned. MEDIAPRO, the company in charge of VAR in LaLiga, confirmed that the technology did not work correctly during the first half of the match at the Vallecas Stadium.Despite the technical team’s efforts, it was not possible to restore the service in the first half, but it was fixed for the second part. MEDIAPRO is investigating the causes of the incident. Yamal’s penalty put Barça 1-0 up, unleashing frustration on the Rayo bench, with coach Iñigo Pérez protesting the decision.“A technical problem, the causes of which could not be determined, prevented the correct functioning of the VAR service during the first part of the match between Rayo and Barça”, MEDIAPRO communicated.
MEDIAPRO
Pérez also suggested that it could be “our club’s fault” and proposed suspending the matches if VAR fails.“I am ashamed of my reaction on the sidelines after the penalty,” Pérez stated after the match in an interview. “It is the result of frustration. Referees make mistakes and that’s okay. What bothers me is that today the players had five minutes of VAR and five minutes without it and so on.”
Iñigo Pérez
Rayo player Isi stated that referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer acknowledged his error in the penalty decision.“We need a better protocol for these situations. My anger is due to the lack of protocol and the lack of efficiency. It’s not a good image for our league. If VAR doesn’t work, we should suspend the match until it’s fixed.”
Iñigo Pérez
The Rayo managed to tie the match with a goal by Fran Pérez in the second half.“When a penalty that isn’t a penalty is called, you get angry. I could say a thousand things right now, but [the referee] is human and also makes mistakes.”
Isi
