OFFICIAL: The referee must pay the price for 'unfair treatment' of Barca

A serious error in Barcelona's defeat to Girona has been confirmed by the Spanish refereeing authority, leading to disciplinary action against the VAR team and reigniting controversy in La Liga.

Eight days after Barcelona's 1-2 loss to Girona (the match took place in the early hours of February 17), the Spanish Refereeing Technical Committee (CTA) officially released their conclusion on this contentious game. According to the report, awarding Girona’s decisive goal was a grave professional mistake, sparking widespread debate about the referees' role as well as its direct impact on this season’s La Liga title race.

The critical moment occurred just before Beltran scored to make it 2-1 for Girona, when Jules Koundé was stepped on during a challenge with Echeverri. The CTA confirmed this was a clear foul that should have been penalized. The report emphasized: “A dangerous foot step constitutes a foul and should have been cautioned; VAR intervention was necessary as this was a clear, serious, and obvious error.”

Notably, Echeverri himself admitted after the match that he would have “understood” if the goal had been disallowed. However, VAR referee Gálvez Rascón did not notify the main referee Soto Grado to review the incident. This mistake led to the VAR official being suspended for one match, as the CTA determined that the failure to intervene was a decisive factor.

Barcelona reacted strongly after the game, claiming they were disadvantaged by refereeing decisions. Former president Joan Laporta declared: “Both on and off the field, there are people who do not want us to win La Liga. But I firmly believe we will claim the title. This will be a season against all odds.” This statement has been frequently referenced since the official report confirmed the error.

The consequences of the loss to Girona become clearer when looking at the latest La Liga standings. Barcelona still leads but only by a single point over Real Madrid after 25 rounds. This narrow margin turns the controversial defeat into a potential turning point, as just one different result could have provided a significant advantage in the title race.

As the season enters its decisive phase, the refereeing error is not only a matter of technical debate but also directly affects the competition’s outcome. With an increasingly demanding schedule and a tight points gap, Barcelona now must maintain absolute consistency if they want to avoid paying a higher price for a match that even La Liga admits they were unfairly treated in.