"Still lucky!": Controversy over VAR audio of Fermín's disallowed goal

BarcelonaLa Liga is almost here for Barça. With just three matches left, the Blaugranas beat Real Madrid again this Sunday. And they did it again, completing an epic comeback. In fact, the Whites started the match more energetically than the Blaugranas and were already leading 2-0 before the 15th minute. But the young culés had yet to say their piece: by halftime, Barça had already turned the score around (4-2). In the final 45 minutes, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé added his own. hat trick to reduce the gap, but it wasn't enough. However, the great match was marked by a series of highly controversial refereeing decisions. In the added time. During the conversation between the main referee, Alejandro José Hernández Hernández, and the members of the VAR room, one can hear someone present say "Still lucky" ("Thank goodness", in Spanish) after confirming that the Barça player touched the ball with his hand. "The hand is clearly extended," concludes the match referee after seeing the play.

Hernández Hernández's decision clashed with the one he had made just minutes earlier regarding Tchouaméni's handball. The referee had gone to the VAR to review a possible penalty in Barça's favor. Once there, the video referee controls only showed him very distant images. "We don't have many more powerful cameras," he was told, while the match broadcast showed much clearer images. After looking at two perspectives, Hernández Hernández concluded: "The arm is down; it's not a penalty for me."

Aside from these two cuts, there were even more controversial moments during the match. On Madrid's first goal, before the penalty, Mbappé appeared to be offside. However, both the referee and the VAR ruled that Cubarsí's action was not influenced by the French forward's position. The foul on Lamine Yamal, which ultimately led to the second penalty for Real Madrid, was also not considered a foul, and a possible red card for Tchouaméni after fouling Ferran when he was left alone in front of the goalkeeper was not reviewed. Real Madrid fans also complained about a handball by De Jong before Barça's second goal. But this incident, unlike the previous ones, was repeated several times in the broadcast.