Former referees and experts criticize the sanction without a penalty against Barcelona during the Getafe draw

FC Barcelona failed to win its first La Liga match of 2025, as Getafe drew 1-1 on Saturday at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

But the match was not without controversy, as Alejandro Balde was the target of racist insults, while Barça president Joan Laporta was also attacked with offensive chants by opposition fans.

There was also controversy on the pitch, as Barcelona were denied a clear penalty in the 81st minute when Christantus Uche dragged Jules Kounde into the box.

The foul, in which Uche grabbed Koundé with both arms, was flagrant, but referee González Fuertes preferred to ignore it and the VAR did not warn him of the clear error.

Experts say it was a penalty

Former referee turned expert Iturralde González, in statements to SER, expressed his belief that it was indeed a penalty: “For me it’s a penalty because he catches it.”

Pedro Martín, COPE referee commentator, also agreed and stated: “There is a hold and it is a pretty clear penalty.”

On Esport 3, former referee Xavier Estrada Fernández was even more decisive: “It is an obvious penalty, and I do not understand why González Fuertes did not point it out, nor why the VAR did not intervene.”

Fernández further clarified that the question of whether Kounde would have reached the ball did not change the fact that it was a penalty.

Some experts have speculated that the reason for the VAR’s lack of intervention may lie in the nature of the foul.

Iturralde explained: “I don’t agree, but this is the type of hold in which the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) does not want the VAR to intervene.”

Beyond the opinions of the referee experts, both radio and television commentators agreed that it was a clear penalty.

Paco González, from COPE, was sincere: “I would love to hear the audio of what they told González Fuertes about the incident between Balde and the Getafe player. I would pay money to listen to it. “He should have asked what happened there, since I didn’t see it.”

Beyond the hostile atmosphere and the racist insults directed at Baldé, another worrying aspect of the Getafe-Barça match is the fact that the person responsible for evaluating González Fuertes’ performance is Yolanda Parga, married to Megía Dávila, a Real Madrid employee. Madrid.

Xavier Estrada Fernández described this as “a blatant conflict of interest” a sentiment echoed by referee analyst Joan Fábregas, who called it “a scandalous conflict of interest and a complete farce.”

Source: SPORT