Controversial refereeing incidents in Spain have made headlines recently. Following the match between Real Madrid and Almería, criticisms were directed at the refereeing body after the release of VAR room audios that influenced the decisions made by the main official.
However, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) reportedly did not release all the audios, as they overlooked a controversial play where Vinicius Junior was apparently hitting Alejandro Pozo. Catalan journalist Gerard Romero took it upon himself to leak the audio of that incident.
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The controversy continues after the Real Madrid-Almería match: VAR saw Vini’s elbow to Pozo, but the play was not reviewed
On his Twitch channel, Romero publicly complained about the influence of Madrid-based media on referees and how the refereeing body deliberately chose to ignore the controversial play by Vinicius Jr.
¡ESCÁNDALO EN LOS AUDIOS DEL VAR DEL REAL MADRID-ALMERÍA!
En @ElGolazoDeGol os hemos mostrado una presunta agresión de Vinícius a Pozo@JijantesFC ha publicado la conversación entre el árbitro y el VAR
Conclusión: los árbitros son honrados, pero no cabe duda de que tienen… pic.twitter.com/8pOqm6GXXw
— Manolo Lama (@lamacope) January 22, 2024
At the time, media in the Spanish capital claimed that the referee did not penalize the play because the VAR did not review it. However, the leaked audios confirm that there were images reviewed by the VAR, comments about it, and a final decision, which sparked more controversy.
What did VAR say to the main referee about Vini’s alleged aggression to Pozo?
After strong criticism of the referees, Gerard Romero showed his audience a leaked audio from the VAR room, in which the referees’ thoughts on Vini’s controversial aggression can be heard:
- Hernández Hernández (VAR): Possible foul in attack. I want to see it. A little further back. Oh, I want to see it up close.
- Hernández Maese (Main Referee): What happened there? For me, nothing, just a struggle between the two. He complains about the face, but I don’t see it from here.
- Hernández Hernández: Yes, when he’s trying to get it away with his arm, in pushing him away, he hits him in the face, okay? When he’s trying to get him out of the way, he braces, and he hits him in the face, okay?
- Hernández Maese: Just a moment.
- Hernández Hernández: Let’s go live.
- Hernández Maese (to the Almería captain): Listen for a moment. They’re checking (VAR) if there was a hit. They’re looking at it upstairs.
- Hernández Maese (to VAR): Come on, we need to see that, team.
LaLiga will launch an investigation into the audio leak
After the controversy over the leaked audio erupted, the league announced that an investigation would be opened. In Spain, there is confusion about how a journalist gained access to audio and video, as Gerard Romero claims. Romero has responded to the situation on social media: “Let them investigate, let them investigate, but especially how that VAR was USED.”
🕵️Que investiguen, que investiguen, pero especialmente como se USÓ ese VAR https://t.co/NfWbyDaOYo
— Gerard Romero (@gerardromero) January 22, 2024
Will Vinicius be sanctioned?
There’s one thing clear in this matter. The CTA (Technical Committee of Referees) acknowledges that there was an aggression by Vinicius against Alejandro Pozo, as they stated that the Brazilian hit the face of the UD Almería player.
Therefore, in addition to the fact that the audios are authentic and the RFEF’s investigation confirms it, the winger could face punishment if UD Almería reports the incident.
