The match between Rayo Vallecano and Barça in Vallecas was marked by a controversial play. In the 39th minute, Mateo Busquets Ferrer awarded a penalty on Lamine Yamal that caused immediate protests from the Madrid side. The blaugrana striker tried to get past Pep Chavarría inside the box and ended up falling to the ground after slight contact. Part of the football community argues that it was the Barça forward who collided with the defender, which has sparked an intense debate about the strictness of the referee's decision.
A technical VAR error that influenced the referee's decision
The controversy was amplified because the VAR review screen in Vallecas wasn't working from the start of the match. The referee couldn't review the play on the field monitor, so his initial decision stood. The verdict from Archivo VAR was clear: "It's not a penalty."
The website specializing in reviewing controversial plays explained that Pep Chavarría gained position and that the subsequent contact shouldn't have resulted in a penalty. The play, with no possibility of video review, ended up being converted by Lamine Yamal, who put Barça ahead.
Roncero explodes and demands a response from Real Madrid
The most explosive reaction came from Tomás Roncero, a well-known journalist and fervent Real Madrid supporter. On his social media, he harshly criticized the competition, calling it "rigged" and claimed that Spain is "the shame of European soccer." Roncero even went so far as to ask Real Madrid to consider leaving La Liga after this new episode of refereeing controversy. His message quickly went viral and sparked a wave of comments among fans and sports analysts.
A contradictory stance in the ongoing debate over video refereeing
What's striking about Roncero's position is that he has repeatedly shown his opposition to VAR. He usually criticizes it for slowing down the pace of matches and for creating more controversies than it solves. However, in this case, he clung precisely to the lack of technological intervention to question the validity of the penalty.
His argument was labeled as contradictory, with people reminding him that, with VAR in operation, it's most likely the decision would've been corrected and the penalty wouldn't have been awarded.
The penalty controversy in Vallecas exposes the fragility of the refereeing system when technology fails. While Lamine Yamal scores his second league goal in three matchdays, the debate over the use of VAR reignites the competition. Roncero demands drastic decisions, but his inconsistency shows just how much Spanish soccer remains trapped in a loop of refereeing controversies that seem endless.