Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo Denied by Controversial VAR Call
Rafa Benitez has had a difficult start to his tenure as manager of Celta Vigo, with just one victory in eight matches. His fifth defeat in charge came away to Las Palmas on Monday night, but it could have been a point if not for a controversial VAR call.
Jorgen Strand Larsen looked to have put Celta 1-0 up in the first half with a composed finish after an off-the-shoulder run, but it was later dismissed. Referee Javier Alberola Rojas was instructed to head to the pitchside monitor, consulting with VAR for a perceived foul by Anastasios Douvakis on Las Palmas defender Mika Marmol. The goal was chalked off, with Douvakis adjudged to have impeded Marmol, despite the latter clearly having initiated contact.
Celta went on to take the lead through Douvakis midway through the second half, but went on to suffer a 2-1 defeat through goals from Jonathan Viera in the 84th minute and Marc Cardona in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Benitez’s Reaction to Controversial VAR Call
It was a bitter blow for Benitez, with the manager telling DAZN after the game that the VAR issue impacted his side’s performance. “It’s amazing, that in every game something has to happen to you, and for a goal like that to be annulled – on an emotional level it’s killing the team,” he said.
“You are in a situation in which you have to be continually rowing against the current. Even if you react, you have the game under control and again what if a penalty, what if a ball, what if a foul… And we end up delivering a game that we have had enough chances to win, but how are we not going to lose in the end if we score a legal goal and they take it away from you?”
Watching the replay back, Benitez added: “I don’t understand where the foul is when my player is turning. If we do like this and that’s going to be a foul in football, then we have to play something else.”
VAR Controversy Growing in Premier League
Celta’s sense of injustice comes amid a growing furore over VAR in the Premier League, with Liverpool receiving audio of the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s legal goal against Tottenham.
This situation shows, however, that it is not only in England that these errors occur – and that it appears a wider issue within football.
Conclusion
The controversial VAR call denied Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo side of a point against Las Palmas on Monday night. Benitez was left frustrated by the decision, believing his side had scored a legal goal. This incident is just one example of the growing controversy surrounding VAR decisions in football, with similar issues occurring in the Premier League.