The passion for soccer often brings stories of perseverance and dedication, but it can also leave scars that are hard to forget. For Nàstic de Tarragona, the fight to return to professional soccer has become a rollercoaster of emotions, especially in recent seasons. The Catalan club has worked intensely for months, driven by fans who haven't stopped dreaming of promotion, but the outcome of the latest play-offs has caused growing frustration in the city.
This isn't the first time Nàstic has been harmed by refereeing decisions in a promotion final. You only have to look back just one year, when the grana team was left at the gates of Segunda División after a tense and controversial tie against Málaga. Now, history repeats itself, but with a new protagonist with the whistle and once again, with the Tarragona club suffering the consequences.
The recent match against Real Sociedad B in Zubieta has left a bitter taste among Tarragona supporters. The match was a true battle in which the grana showed character and pride, coming back in a tie that seemed lost. However, when they were closest to their goal, a penalty called in the final minutes sparked controversy. The footage shows hands close to the body that can hardly be interpreted as a punishable action. For Nàstic's circle, that decision meant the definitive goodbye to the dream of promotion.
Xavier Estrada Fernández's outrage and the debate over VAR
The refereeing controversy hasn't gone unnoticed in the world of Spanish soccer. One of those who has spoken out the loudest is former international referee Xavier Estrada Fernández. Through his social media, Estrada Fernández harshly criticized the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) and focused on the absence of VAR in such crucial play-offs.
According to the former referee, Spanish soccer can't afford mistakes of this magnitude in matches where the future of clubs, cities, and entire fan bases is at stake. "A whole season fighting and working and a couple of glaring plays—which VAR would've solved—leave you out of promotion. Unfair. CTA, please use in the play-offs the tools that new technologies provide and make the job easier for referees and soccer. It's called professionalism and respect!" Estrada said in his message, which was quickly shared and commented on by thousands of fans.
This isn't the first time the lack of VAR in the play-offs has caused controversy. The technology, present in most professional categories, still isn't applied in these key matches, increasing the sense of grievance for teams like Nàstic who play for their future in a matter of seconds and decisions that are very difficult to judge live.
The elimination once again leaves Nàstic out of professional soccer for the second consecutive season. In both cases, refereeing controversies have marked the outcome of very evenly matched ties. In the previous season, the Catalan team also fell in the final, then against Málaga, after another match where refereeing decisions were highly debated.