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Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman could not contain his frustration at VAR after seeing his team beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in La Liga on Saturday at the Camp Nou.
Koeman: I don’t understand VAR, every decision is against Barça. In five games, I haven’t seen one in favour and there are many examples: a penalty on Messi vs. Sevilla, red cards for Getafe, the one today… that always goes on in the area
Real Madrid’s second goal came from the penalty spot and put the visitors 2-1 up in the game. Defender Clement Lenglet was penalized for a shirt tug on Sergio Ramos who went to ground theatrically inside the penalty area.
The spot-kick was given after a VAR check and Ramos duly converted to put Real Madrid ahead just after the hour mark. Luka Modric went on to score their third in stoppage time.
Koeman was asked about the decision after the match and went on to explain in detail why he was not happy with the award of the penalty, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
For me, it is not a penalty. I have told the referee that I hope they can explain the issue of VAR to me here in Spain. In five days, the VAR only goes against Barça. He did not enter the penalty from Sevilla to Messi, in the two reds in Getafe, there are several examples. Why is there only VAR against us? I have asked the referee.
VAR can be very good, but for all teams. Lenglet grabs him by the shirt, but not enough to be a penalty, because there are grabs like that in all the plays in the area. If you pull your shirt forward, you fall forward, not back.
The result will put Koeman under pressure even though he only took over as Barca boss in August. The Catalan giants have now lost two games in a week and are already six points behind Real Madrid, although they have played one game less than their rivals.
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Ramos Claims Penalty ‘Was Clear’
Unsurprisingly Ramos insisted the referee was correct to award the penalty despite television replays showing both players tangling inside the box before Lenglet was penalized.
Yet Ramos told reporters after the match that the referee had been correct to award the penalty, as reported by Football Espana.
I think it is a very clear decision. He pulls me as I am about to jump and that is clear. It is unfair to judge the referee on an incident that was so clear. From there we pushed on and took advantage to win the game 3-1.
The goal proved to be the turning point in the match. Barca had been on top early in the second half but could not find an equalizer and conceded a third late on.
Former Referee Disagrees With Decision
There’s no doubt it was a contentious decision and one that former referee César Barrenechea Montero feels match official Juan Martínez Munuera got wrong.
He told Mundo Deportivo that in his view “it is not a penalty” and added “because it is one of the many grabs in a game. It is not enough to displace a player.”
The use of VAR in La Liga has been called into question several times already in 2020-21 after a series of controversial decisions, and there will be even more spotlight on the technology after Saturday’s Clasico.
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