Barça presents a formal complaint to the RFEF for the arbitrations

This Saturday, FC Barcelona sent a formal letter to the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzán; to the president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Fran Soto; to the person in charge of the VAR and the director of the Legal Department showing their “deep concern” about the refereeing that the team received in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals against Atlético de Madrid.

On the one hand, the Catalan club highlighted the “lack of coherence in the disciplinary criteria.” “FC Barcelona denounces the existence of disparate decisions compared to actions of an identical nature, especially in terms of disciplinary sanctions. This disparity generates a feeling of double standards incompatible with the principles of equity, equality and legal certainty that should govern the competition,” he said.

He also pointed out the “contradictory criteria in hand actions.” “The club highlights the inconsistency in the interpretation of hands in the area, even in matches refereed by the referees themselves. This lack of uniformity reinforces the perception of arbitrariness and the lack of predictability in the application of the regulations,” he noted.

In addition, he highlighted the “accumulation of relevant errors.” “Beyond specific cases, FC Barcelona points out the reiteration of flagrant refereeing errors throughout the season, many of them decisive and to the detriment of the club. This accumulation directly affects the integrity of the competition and generates growing distrust,” he indicated.

The entity also spoke about the “application and transparency of the VAR.” “The club expresses reasonable doubts about the use and correct application of technology, especially in millimetric decisions that have not been accompanied by conclusive technical explanations. The lack of transparency in the management and publication of VAR audios is also reported,” he said.

Regarding the “criteria in reviews on the monitor”, Barça “questions the lack of clear and homogeneous criteria when sending referees to review plays on the monitor, which contributes to a perception of insecurity and inequality in decision-making.”

“The club wants to make it clear that this initiative is not intended to question the professionalism of the refereeing team, but rather to demand an urgent review of the criteria applied with the aim of guaranteeing uniformity in refereeing decisions, equal treatment between clubs and the credibility and prestige of the competitions,” he explained.

On the other hand, the club requested “the full publication of all VAR audios, regardless of whether there is a review on the field, as an essential measure of transparency and referee pedagogy.”

In addition, he proposed “the creation of a specific disciplinary code or regulation for the arbitration group that establishes public and transparent consequences in cases of serious errors or negligence, with the aim of reinforcing confidence in the system.” “This proposal does not respond solely to the defense of one’s own interests, but is framed in the desire to contribute to the overall good functioning of the competition and the benefit of all clubs, with the aim of preventing similar situations from being repeated and guaranteeing a clear, stable and equitable framework of action for all,” he explained.

“FC Barcelona demands that its requests be analyzed with the utmost seriousness and that concrete measures be adopted to prevent similar situations from being repeated in the future,” he concluded.