Eyebrows were raised as Valladolid’s goal against the Madrid giants went under review
VAR has been involved in some serious controversy since football began adopting the video review system and a curious moment during Real Madrid’s game at Valladolid did little to assuage the doubters.
Relegation-threatened Valladolid had two first-half goals ruled out, both scored by Sergi Guardiola, and the first required a VAR check due to a tight offside call. As is now a customary feature of the system, TV cameras switched to the central control room to show the officials going about their work.
Alas, there was no one there. Just an empty office.
Okay, it was actually a mistake. Later on, the actual room containing actual officials was showed as Real Madrid went on to claim a 4-1 win. The damage had already been done for VAR’s reputation for some, however, and the system is set to arrive in the Premier League next season.
Sunday’s game was hardly plain sailing for Los Blancos, who were forced to warm up in the dark due to a power outage across Valladolid’s Estadio Jose Zorrilla. The hosts missed an early penalty and took the league despite the disallowed strikes, before succumbing to a Karim Benzema-led comeback.
Madrid really needed the turnaround too with coach Santiago Solari reportedly under massive pressure following his side’s exit from the Copa del Rey and Champions League. They currently sit third, 12 points off rivals Barcelona in the LaLiga title race.
