Spanish Referees Crisis Deepens Amidst VAR Controversy in LaLiga

On August 12, 2018, Barcelona and Sevilla played in Tangier the final of the Spanish Super Cup, a match that went down in Spanish football history, particularly in terms of Spanish arbitration. For the first time, the VAR (Video Assistant referee) was applied in a Spanish football game. Only 8 minutes into the game, Sevilla took the lead with a goal from Sarabia, but the celebration had to wait until Carlos del Cerro Grande validated it after consulting with Jesús Gil Manzano in the VAR room, along with his Assistant Var Ángel Nevado González, who checked the play and confirmed that the player’s position was legal.

Since then, six and a half seasons have passed, and the feeling that Spanish arbitration is going through its worst moments is becoming more widespread. The strong statement issued by Real Madrid on Monday, in which they denounce manipulation, adulteration, and systematic persecution against them, may sound disproportionate, but the reality is that most clubs feel harmed and do not know what to make of the use of the VAR. This tool, which is very useful, is being misused by referees, generating confusion, tension, and indignation in equal parts.

Complaints are being made by both big and small clubs. On January 20, Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, showed his indignation after a draw against Getafe with a controversial decisive play that the referee did not indicate: “The arbitration was a shame, it’s a scandal that the penalty was not given to Koundé.” Just five days later, Jagoba Arrasate, a manager in LaLiga, expressed his frustration, saying that the arbitration is taking away the desire to play.

In the Second Division, referees’ salaries are also notable, with a monthly salary of €6,400 and €1,820 for each game led. With an average of 20 meetings per year, their salary can reach or exceed €100,000 by the end of the year. Every four years, the CTA agreement is renewed, and these salary items are reviewed. Until six years ago, first-tier referees were forced to retire at 45, and second-tier referees at 41. However, the arrival of VAR has been an economic boon for professionals who can now dedicate themselves exclusively to refereeing.

The need to improve and the reputational crisis in Spanish arbitration are evident. While earning more money does not necessarily mean that errors will disappear, the privileged status of being the best-paid referees in the continent demands that they find solutions to the delicate moment they are going through. The application of VAR technology is clearly improvable, and the entire arbitration collective is affected by a deep reputational crisis following the ‘Case Negreira’. This is the real reason why Real Madrid is insisting that the president of the CTA be dismissed by the president of the Rafael Louzán Federation, which has not yet attended to their request.