SPORTSWORLD.AM
Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil criticized the cancellation of Barcelona defender Gerard Martin's red card in the 30th round match of the Spanish La Liga between the teams (1:2).
"When we see these images and hear the audio released by the federation, it only evokes a sense of shame."
Referees have the same right to make mistakes during a match as players, coaches and managers, but mistakes in the game are just that, mistakes. It is a different matter when the VAR (video assistant referee) influences the referee after he has already assessed the situation. The VAR should only intervene to correct undisputed mistakes, not make decisions on behalf of the referee.
"It's abnormal when in identical situations different decisions are made, the criteria change and we don't know what to focus on. This happened to us in the last two rounds. This doesn't make sense," Gilles was quoted as saying by Marca.
In the 46th minute of the match, the Catalan defender, while trying to take the ball, hit Atletico Madrid midfielder Thiago Almada with his nails in the leg. Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer, after reviewing the VAR, decided that the player had previously played with the ball and overturned the red card. The conversations between the referee and the VAR regarding the decision were later made public.