All the controversy of Atlético Madrid 4-0 Barcelona: VAR, penalties, and red cards

With the Copa del Rey final on the horizon, the first leg of the semi final between Atlético and Barcelona began with goals and also controversy. In the 26th minute, Casadó was shown a yellow card near the halfway line for a challenge from behind on Giuliano as the Argentine was starting a counter attack. A controversial decision that prompted complaints at the Metropolitano. In fact, Nelson Vivas, one of Simeone’s assistants, was also booked.

However, Iturralde González, referee analyst for AS, believed Martínez Munuera got the colour of the card right, although he added that it depends on how the play is interpreted. “He goes in with his left leg. Giuliano steps on him and then Casadó trips him,” the former referee explained. “It is an action right on the limit. Anyone who interprets it as a kick from behind can perfectly argue it is red,” he said.

The Atlético attacker was also involved in another controversial moment at the start of the second half. In the 50th minute, Giuliano went in on Balde with his leg extended at shin height. It resulted in a yellow card. “He leaves his studs very high and avoids a possible red because he does not leave his leg planted,” Iturralde concluded, also defending the decision not to involve VAR. “They should call him if he leaves that leg strong and rigid. He catches him with the studs, but he does not leave the leg tense. A very clear yellow,” he clarified.

Just six minutes later came another of the night’s major controversies. VAR disallowed a goal scored by the Barcelona centre back, who put the ball in the net after receiving a rebound from Lewandowski. However, after drawing the lines, Cubarsí had his foot slightly ahead, so the goal did not stand.

“The key is, when the ball hits Lewandowski, where Cubarsí is. Whether he is ahead of or behind the ball,” Iturralde stressed. He also addressed the delay in drawing the lines, explaining that “the line has to be drawn from the ball and not from the most advanced part of a player”. “If there is no clear image of where it is, that is what complicates things,” he concluded.

However, the time taken to review the play was also due to a technological failure, according to the CTA. “It was detected that the system generated a fault in the modelling of players through the skeleton tracking when it detected a situation with a high density of players,” they explained.

In other words, the semi automated offside system failed and this forced officials to draw the lines manually, delaying the final decision. “After attempting to recalibrate the modelling and confirming it was not possible, following the established procedure, the VAR team proceeded to draw the offside lines manually in order to reach the final and correct decision,” the CTA detailed in its statement. “For this reason, and exceptionally, the review process took longer than usual and it was not possible to send the recreation to the television broadcast,” it concluded.

The Barcelona player then made a heavy challenge on Baena as the last man, which Martínez Munuera initially punished with a yellow card. However, Araújo’s distance as the only nearby defender, and the danger of the play, led VAR to call the referee to the screen.

After watching the footage, the referee changed the card to red and sent off Eric García. A correct decision, according to Iturralde: “For me it is red. Araújo does not get there, it is a controlled ball. The red is absolutely clear.”