PGMOL forced to apologize for 3 Barcelona disallowed goal against Real Sociedad as FA release honest judgement on the referee and officials that officiated the match
Barcelona’s loss to Real Sociedad last weekend is justifiably being viewed as an evening where the Catalan club fell victim to misfortune, given that the sheer volume of opportunities they created certainly didn’t warrant a defeat.
However, while bad luck undoubtedly played a significant role, controversial refereeing decisions and questionable officiating were equally instrumental in contributing to the team’s setback at Anoeta Stadium.
Both the match official Gil Manzano and the Video Assistant Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande committed substantial errors throughout the contest. Hansi Flick and Frenkie de Jong both made their frustrations abundantly clear during their post-match media appearances.
Laporta is absolutely livid
According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is seething with anger over the performances of both Manzano and Del Cerro Grande at Anoeta and how their mistakes directly influenced the outcome to Barcelona’s detriment.
He’s particularly incensed with the latter official, who was operating the VAR system and ruled out Lamine Yamal’s goal based on what appeared to be a questionable offside call.
The image provided by VAR to justify the decision didn’t appear remotely convincing by any reasonable standard, and there’s also speculation circulating that the wrong frame was selected to support the controversial ruling.
What intensifies the president’s rage even further is the fact that it was this very same referee who controlled the VAR during last season’s fixture when Barcelona faced the identical opponent at the same venue.
On that previous occasion as well, the Catalans were harshly treated when Robert Lewandowski’s goal was chalked off for a non-existent offside, where the length of his boot appeared to be artificially extended in the VAR imagery to place him in an offside position.
It remains uncertain whether Barcelona will lodge any formal complaint with the authorities, and that decision will largely hinge on how much concrete supporting evidence they possess to substantiate their grievances. However, it seems highly unlikely that either referee will face any meaningful consequences or disciplinary action for their glaring mistakes.
