Spanish Referee Committee says there was no penalty on Vinicius during El Clásico

The Spanish Referee Committee (Comité Técnico de Árbitros) issued a statement explaining why VAR overturned the penalty call early in the first half of Sunday’s El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Los Blancos.

“In the opening moments of the match, a Real Madrid player drives into the penalty area while a Barcelona player chases him. The Barcelona defender anticipates, wins the position and goes to contest the ball. After planting his foot on the turf, the Real Madrid forward strikes it while attempting to shoot. The action is very quick and the referee interprets that the contact was the other way around, awarding a penalty to Real Madrid. The Comittee considers that the referee’s initial decision to award a penalty is incorrect; the VAR intervention is justified, since there was a clear and obvious error in the on-field decision. The referee’s correction clearly complies with the regulations,” reads the statement.

Still, it is undoubtedly a very controversial play that sets a dangerous precedent in Spanish football, as defenders will now be allowed to prevent any shot by placing their foot in front of attackers, regardless of where the ball actually is.

The Spanish Football Federation continues to be in shambles with the quality of its referees and El Clásico wasn’t an exception.

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