FC Barcelona have not been dealt the best of hands this season in terms of their overall luck. This has led the Catalan giants to struggle on several points during the campaign, particularly in the league. However, the misfortune that Barcelona has gone through has more than one name.
The one that most people will immediately point to is injuries. Several of the side’s key players have suffered this season already, with the likes of Gavi, Ter Stegen, Joao Cancelo, Inigo Martinez, Raphinha and others having been currently injured or previously sidelined at some point of the campaign.
However, to an extent, these misfortunes are still within the control of the club. Through one way or another, Barcelona could avoid the overextension of their players. On the other hand, there is a specific kind of misfortune that the Catalan club can do nothing about.
According to AS, there is quite a lot of discontentment within Barça regarding VAR this season. Especially after the controversial game between Real Madrid and Almeria, there seems to be an even bigger outcry from the clubs in La Liga.
For Barcelona, there were four primary incidents that have caused controversy. On the very first Matchday, Barça felt the wrath of VAR against Getafe. A clear penalty on Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo was cancelled due to a previous ‘handball’ by Gavi.
This decision was heavily criticized by the Barcelona coaches. Xavi referred to the call as an ‘invisible hand’, and many angles showed just how misdirecting the review was. That one potential goal ended up costing Barça a victory.
The second time around, Barcelona once again had to deal with VAR’s inconsistencies against Granada. In the dying minutes of Matchday 9, Barcelona scored a winner through Joao Felix. Replays showed that the Portuguese star was clearly onside and instead, they chalked off the goal due to Ferran Torres being in an offside position.
The issue here is that Torres did not even get a touch on the ball. Instead, the argument provided was that he influenced the positioning of the opposition’s goalkeeper. However, this makes one question why Isco’s second goal against Barça recently was not ruled out for the exact same reason.
Moving on to the third great incident, this one ironically came against Real Madrid. Already leading by one goal at this point, Ronald Araujo was brought down in the Madrid box by Aurelien Tchouameni. However, neither did the on-field referee point to the spot nor did VAR even intervene.
The last incident, in the clash against Rayo Vallecano, also angered Barcelona. An opposition defender directly grabbed Robert Lewandowski and practically threw him to the ground in the Rayo box. A clear attack off the ball, yet neither VAR nor the referee or his assistant pointed it out.
There is no issue with VAR giving out a certain decision against Barcelona, but the problem lies in consistency. What stands against Barcelona is something that should also apply to other teams fairly.
These inconsistencies have already cost Barça several points this season. However, despite these controversial calls, the club continues to fight.
