Referees Committee explain eight-minute VAR decision – Barcelona to file complaint

Barcelona are set to file a complaint to the Referee’s Committee (CTA), following an eight-minute wait for a VAR decision which ended up ruling out an offside goal for Pau Cubarsi. The CTA have also given their version of events.

The incident occurred early in the second half, with Barcelona seeking to recover a goal in the face of a 4-0 deficit. According to MD, from a statement released by the CTA, the delay in the decision was due to the malfunction of the semi-automatic offside technology, meaning that VAR referee Pablo Gonzalez had to manually draw the offside lines from the images they took.

They say the semi-automatic offside system was unable to draw the lines due to the high density of players in the image. They maintain the decision, which was based on a touch from Robert Lewanodwski in which the ball went forward and Cubarsi was beyond the last line of defence, was the correct one.

Frenkie de Jong: "In the offside image we don't see the contact with the ball, when Fermín López shoots. Later there's another image and it's clearly seen that the defender is one meter behind Robert Lewandowski. Very strange, a scandal…" pic.twitter.com/eHm0TusjmJ

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 13, 2026

Barcelona to file complaint to Federation

A furious Barcelona are set to file a complaint to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). That is according to RAC1, who say that the Blaugrana are highly frustrated by the handling of the VAR decision, as well as the decision not to send off Giuliano Simeone, which the VAR did not ask the referee to review.

Hansi Flick on Spanish refereeing – ‘It’s a mess here’

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick admitted his side had been ‘taught a lesson’ by Atletico in the first half, but he was just as derogatory about the officiating team as his own side. He referred to Spanish refereeing as ‘a mess’, and noted that after their eight-minute wait for a decision, there was no communication as to why the decision had been given. Flick was also unhappy with the bar set by the referee for fouls, noting that Giuliano Simeone could have been sent off even if his challenge on Alejandro Balde was not deemed a red card.

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