The atmosphere at the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is heated. Following the recent incidents in the match between Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad, the officials have shown their deep displeasure at the excessive prominence of the VAR room. The instruction at the start of the season was clear: the on-field referee must be the main figure, and VAR should only intervene in "clear, obvious and manifest" errors.
Controversy in Vallecas and doubts over the criteria
The disallowing of a Rayo goal to award a prior "soft penalty" has reignited the criticism. Expert voices say that play should never have been reviewed because it falls into the ambiguous "gray area." This incident, added to previous mistakes such as the one in Atlético-Barcelona, has led the RFEF to demand that the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) urgently make a "deep cut" to video refereeing interventionism.
The players' discontent
The anger has spilled from the directors' box onto the pitch. Rayo player Pathé Ciss publicly questioned on social media whether referees apply the same criteria and give the same briefings at every club. While the CTA admits it must "improve its aim," the pressure on the refereeing establishment keeps growing in this decisive stage of the competition.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
