All articles tagged with #var controversy
Germany qualified for the Euro 2025 quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Denmark, featuring a controversial VAR decision and a winning goal from Lea Schuller, despite two disallowed goals and a head injury to a Danish player. The match highlighted delays in VAR decisions and ongoing debates about officiating standards.
The law regarding 'double touch' penalties in football has been amended so that if a player accidentally touches the ball twice during a penalty, the kick will now be retaken instead of disallowed, following a controversial decision involving Julian Alvarez's penalty in the Champions League.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticized a VAR decision that disallowed a "clear goal" by Robert Lewandowski during their La Liga match against Real Sociedad, which they lost. The VAR mistakenly identified Lewandowski's boot as offside, but Flick emphasized the need to accept the decision and focus on improving the team's performance. Despite the controversy, Flick acknowledged that Barcelona's own mistakes contributed to the defeat. The team will regroup during the international break before facing Celta Vigo on November 23.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid draw 1-1 in the Madrid derby, with Brahim Díaz scoring for Real Madrid and Marcos Llorente equalizing for Atlético in stoppage time. The match saw VAR controversy, penalty appeals, and standout performances from Andriy Lunin and Brahim Díaz.
Real Madrid's VAR controversy highlights the pressure facing Spanish referees, with the club's official in-house channel regularly featuring videos to back up claims of bias against certain referees. The recent VAR-assisted decisions during Madrid's game against Almeria have sparked debate, with some calls being highly debatable. The involvement of VAR operator Mediapro, the ongoing controversy surrounding Barcelona's payments to former referees chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, and the push for reform in how refereeing, including VAR, is managed in Spain add further complexity to the situation.
Liverpool secured a hard-fought victory over 10-man Everton in the Merseyside derby, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice to become Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer at Anfield. The game was marred by controversial refereeing decisions, including a VAR-awarded penalty for Liverpool and the dismissal of Everton's Ashley Young. Despite Everton's resilience, Liverpool dominated the match and sealed the win with a late counterattack goal from Salah.