Real Madrid Confidencial The VAR Audio Confirms It: A Crucial Image of Vinícius's Disallowed Goal Was Hidden
The review of that play adds more questions to the long debate about refereeing performances
One of the most striking actions of the Real Madrid-Athletic Club de Bilbao is, without a doubt, the disallowed goal for Vinícius Jr. This play came after a great effort by the verdeamarelo striker, who went from less to more, and caused a great uproar from Santiago Bernabéu during its lengthy review. The VAR action has led to the release of the audio of the conversations between Martínez Munuera and Cordero Vega.
The latter, from the VAR, calls his field colleague with the following premise: "I have to call you to come and assess Endrick's interference on Aitor Paredes". Juan Martínez Munuera agreed with this idea while Cordero Vega pointed out that "then we'll send the recreation of the position in case you definitely call offside".
Meanwhile, Martínez Munuera was watching the play from the monitor installed at the edge of the field at Santiago Bernabéu, Cordero Vega pointed out that "this is the point of contact". Martínez Munuera's demands were very clear: "I want to see one that has the offside. Stop it, stop it, and now I want the high-behind", a camera position that would help make a definitive decision on the incident between Endrick and Paredes.
The response from Cordero Vega, from Las Rozas, was this: "the high-behind doesn't focus, you have it there"... although only the frame corresponding to the play was placed for barely a second. In the video published by RFEF, in addition to that sudden image change, Cordero Vega pointed out to his colleague that "we can put the sky, which is this one, with zoom".
Striking Change
Juan Martínez Munuera, after seeing that shot from the skycam installed at Santiago Bernabéu, made it clear that "it's very tight". He also understood that "there is interference" from Endrick to Aitor Paredes in the action immediately preceding Vinícius Jr.'s goal. Therefore, the field referee of the Real Madrid-Athletic Club de Bilbao announced to his colleagues that "I'm going with offside".
Indeed, Martínez Munuera ended up disallowing Vinícius's goal based on the infraction committed by Endrick in the previous action. His duel with Aitor Paredes had left the '16' verdeamarelo ahead of the athleticzale defensive line... invalidating in the process a goal that seemed vital to continue in the fight for the LaLiga leadership.
Beyond the decision made by the field referee of that match, the debate about this review has circulated around the impossibility of using the high-behind camera. Shielding himself in that "it doesn't focus," Cordero Vega barely shows that frame of the play for a second... as can be seen in the video published on social media by RFEF.
That decision by Cordero Vega has once again put the spotlight on the referees' decisions. The 32nd matchday of LaLiga 24/25, like almost all in recent times, is accompanied by an intense debate after the match between Real Madrid and Athletic Club... and the performance of Melero López and del Cerro Grande in the FC Barcelona-Celta de Vigo held at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
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