VAR Controversy Mars Copa del Rey Semi-Final as Barcelona Goal Disallowed After Lengthy Delay
Barcelona were left furious after a VAR review took an astonishing eight minutes to disallow a crucial goal in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. The incident occurred during Thursday's match in Madrid, where Barcelona trailed 4-0 at half-time.
Goal Scored and Then Overturned in Protracted VAR Check
After the break, Barcelona showed immediate intent to fight back. Pau Cubarsi seized on a loose ball in the penalty area and calmly finished, seemingly reducing the deficit to 4-1. However, VAR officials soon raised concerns that Robert Lewandowski, the last Barcelona player to touch the ball before Cubarsi, might have been in an offside position.
What followed was an unprecedented delay. Both sets of players began warming up again, passing a ball around as the VAR team laboured over the decision. Eventually, it was ruled that Lewandowski was marginally offside, but not using the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT).
Refereeing Committee Issues Statement Explaining Delay
The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) in Spain released a statement to clarify the situation. They explained that during the analysis, the SAOT system failed to generate proper player modelling due to the high density of players in the box. After attempts to recalibrate the system proved unsuccessful, VAR officials had to manually draw offside lines, which significantly extended the review time.
The statement read: "Following protocol, the VAR team analysed the play using SAOT. It was detected that the system generated a failure in player modelling through the skeletons upon detecting a situation with high player density. After verifying recalibration was impossible, the team proceeded to manually draw offside lines for the correct decision. This exceptionally prolonged the review process."
Barcelona's Frustration and Manager's Outburst
The lengthy wait visibly disrupted Barcelona's momentum, and the second half petered out without further goals. Barcelona also saw Eric Garcia receive a contentious red card late in the match. Post-match, manager Hansi Flick did not hold back his frustration.
Flick stated: "What should I say? For me, it's a mess. They have to wait seven minutes? Come on. They find something in these seven minutes? Okay. When I see this situation, it was clearly no offside. Maybe they could see something different. Then tell us. There's no communication. It's so bad here."
He also criticised the early refereeing decisions, suggesting that a yellow card not given for a foul on Alejandro Balde changed the game's dynamics.
Implications for the Tie
With the goal disallowed, Barcelona now face a daunting 4-0 deficit heading into the second leg on March 3. The holders have a mountain to climb to retain their Copa del Rey title, compounded by the controversy surrounding the VAR decision and Garcia's suspension.
The incident has sparked debate about VAR efficiency and communication in football, particularly in high-stakes matches where such delays can significantly impact the flow and outcome of the game.
