Home / Sports / RFEF Admits Officiating Mistake, Barcelona Responds
RFEF Admits Officiating Mistake, Barcelona Responds
25 Feb
Summary
- RFEF and CTA admitted a refereeing error occurred during a key match.
- Barcelona subtly criticized officiating standards in Spain after the admission.
- The infraction involved a studs-first foul by a Girona player before a goal.
In a rare display of transparency, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and its Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) released a joint statement admitting to an officiating mistake. The incident occurred during a critical match, involving a foul by a Girona forward on a Barcelona defender just before a goal was scored. The CTA's detailed analysis confirmed that the forward's studs-first contact constituted a foul and warranted a yellow card.
According to the RFEF's assessment, the referee and VAR should have intervened to correct the on-pitch decision. The committee cited Law 12 of the game, emphasizing that reckless stamps and excessive force must be sanctioned, irrespective of contesting the ball. This admission came under scrutiny from Barcelona, who responded via social media with a sharp remark.
The Catalan club posted, "Owning a mistake is a big step. Avoiding it is the next," subtly criticizing the officiating standards within Spain's top league. The RFEF's clarification noted that the VAR review should have identified the clear and obvious error, advising the referee to disallow the goal and issue a caution.
