Barça suffered an unexpected 2-1 defeat against UD Las Palmas at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. The match was marked by several important errors that ended up causing Flick's men to continue their bad streak. After tying with Celta and losing to Real Sociedad, Flick's men dropped another three vital points in their bid to win LaLiga.
Despite the defeat, Barça could have won if the VAR had done its job. There were two actions in the Las Palmas area that the referee, Adrián Cordero Vega, didn't sanction as a penalty. The first occurred in the 86th minute, when Mika Mármol blatantly stepped on Cubarsí inside the goal area.
The second controversial incident occurred in added time. Scott McKenna grabbed Pau Victor by the jersey, preventing him from finishing a cross into the area. Once again, neither the referee nor the VAR considered the play a penalty.
Pau Victor is Amazed by What Happened at Bernabéu
Obviously, Barça was very upset with the VAR decisions. Their anger grew even larger after seeing what happened at Santiago Bernabéu just 24 hours later. While Pau Víctor almost had his jersey ripped off, Real Madrid was gifted a penalty.
In the match between Real Madrid and Getafe, the referee did award a penalty in favor of the white team. Allan Nyom and Antonio Rüdiger struggled in the area without any intention, but the referee awarded the penalty. This disparity in the application of the rules has caused debate about the consistency of the refereeing criteria.
Anger at FC Barcelona
That's why Pau Víctor has expressed his discontent internally. In the Barça locker room, phrases such as "we can't compete like this" can already be heard. Words that reflect frustration at the refereeing decisions that are harming FC Barcelona.
Barça fans and coaching staff have expressed their dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions. They believe that similar situations are not judged in the same way when they affect other teams. This perception of double standards in refereeing fuels controversy and distrust in the system.
Barça coach Hansi Flick avoided entering into refereeing controversies in his public statements. However, the club is expected to lodge a formal complaint with the Technical Committee of Referees. The aim is to seek explanations for the decisions taken in the match against Las Palmas.
Consistency in refereeing decisions is essential to maintaining the integrity of the sport. Incidents such as those that occurred in Barça-Las Palmas and Real Madrid-Getafe call into question the impartiality of refereeing. It is essential that referees apply the rules uniformly for all teams.