This Sunday, Vallecas Stadium became the setting for one of the most talked-about images in Spanish soccer. Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, appeared in the box accompanied by Fran Soto Balirac, newly appointed president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).
The presence of the top Barça executive alongside the new head of refereeing did not go unnoticed. Soto, considered the highest refereeing authority after his recent promotion, watched the Rayo Vallecano-Barcelona match right next to Rafa Yuste, vice president of the blaugrana club. The combination quickly raised suspicions among fans and journalists.
VAR offside
If the image in the box hadn't been enough, the match was marked by a technical failure that further fueled the controversy. For several minutes, VAR was out of service right at the moment when a penalty was called on Lamine Yamal, which turned out to be non-existent.
Mateo Busquets Ferrer, the designated referee, couldn't review the play on the monitor. The coincidence between Soto's visit and the VAR failure reignited tensions among clubs, referees, and technology.
Recent background
The controversy comes after refereeing errors in the Atlético de Madrid match. In that round, VAR validated a goal by Giuliano Simeone that was clearly offside. The Asturian referee responsible was immediately removed from his next match.
In that same round, Real Madrid had three goals disallowed, two for offside and one for a handball by Arda Güler. Madrid fans criticized VAR's strictness, while Soto's visit to Vallecas adds more controversy.
Laporta and the referees: a complicated history
This isn't the first time Joan Laporta has been involved in controversies related to refereeing. During his first term at the helm of Barça, he significantly increased the salary of José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice president of the CTA, for alleged reports that were never released.
Now, together with his board and with Soto by his side, Joan Laporta watched the match in Vallecas. The image reinforces the sense of closeness between Barça and refereeing, despite CTA's attempts to show transparency.
A message to the league
The visit to the franjirrojo stadium did not go unnoticed. Real Madrid fans and refereeing experts interpret this gesture as a sign of complicity between Barcelona and the refereeing leadership. The controversy is not limited to VAR, but also to the perception of favoritism toward certain clubs.
Meanwhile, as Laporta smiles in the box, the shadow of past scandals remains. The question that lingers is clear: can Spanish soccer keep its credibility if images like this are repeated?