Has FC Barcelona been disadvantaged by the refereeing this season?

Second in La Liga with eleven points behind Real Madrid, FC Barcelona saw its title chances definitively disappear on Sunday evening on the Bernabéu pitch. Beaten to the wire by its eternal rival (2-3) during the 32nd day of La Liga, the Catalan club thus ended a nightmarish week after its elimination against PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. A terrible disappointment which does not pass through the Barcelona ranks, moreover after new controversial arbitration decisions. So, if the penalty awarded to Lucas Vazquez and converted by Vinicius Junior caused a lot of talk, another incident of play provoked the ire of the Culers. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Andriy Lunin pushed back a slightly deflected corner from Raphinha on his line. Yes, but in the absence of Goal Line Technology, which does not exist in Spain, the video refereeing could not decide and the goal was ultimately refused. To the great misfortune of the Blaugranas.

Yet another controversy after the Clàsico…

“I can’t find words to explain what happened on the goal line. It’s a shame for world football. This world (that of football) invests a lot of money, but not for what is important. Words fail me. I don’t understand why there is no money to implement the technology that other leagues have.”railed Marc-André ter Stegen in particular at the microphone of Movistar +. A rage also perceptible in the speech of Xavi, present a few moments later at a press conference. “It’s a shame ! Yesterday, you asked me about the referee and I said that I would have liked him to go unnoticed and be right… In the end it’s neither one nor the other! We aim to continue fighting for second place. I’m proud of the team. With the match we played, the normal thing is to win, but there are situations that we cannot control. We deserved the victory and now we have to think about the next match against Valencia.analyzed the Spanish technician.

Already beside himself after the scenario experienced at Montjuïc in the middle of the week against Paris Saint-Germain, the former Barça midfielder has made a series of sensational outings vis-à-vis the refereeing body. After this new contentious situation which could have changed the course of the match on the other side of the Pyrenees, a question then arises: has FC Barcelona really been disadvantaged by the refereeing since the start of the season? While everyone will have their own opinion on the matter, it is clear that several events have often turned against the Culers. With this in mind, the Clàsico of the first leg (lost 1-2 by Robert Lewandowski’s teammates) had already sparked its share of controversies. Indeed, the fate of this meeting could have been very different if Gil Manzano had awarded a penalty to Ronald Araujo after contact with Aurélien Tchouameni in stoppage time in the first half when the score was 1-0 to Montjuïc. Mundo Deportivo goes even further and indicates that “Barça should perhaps have won these two Clasicos instead of losing them”. An eventuality which would then have allowed the Culers to total, at present, 76 points and not 70 while the Merengues would point to 75 points, and not 81.

Barça feels wronged

More than these two shocks lost against Real Madrid, the Catalan press also points to other matches where the refereeing considerably impacted the final result. Often linked to controversies concerning the Blaugranas, referee Soto Grado is, for this reason, singled out. It was he who officiated during the first day and the draw conceded by Xavi’s men in Getafe (0-0). A match during which Araujo could have benefited from a penalty but the VAR ultimately decided otherwise, sanctioning a handball from Gavi at the start of the action. “It’s an absolute shame.”, the Barcelona coach had already lost his temper. Once again present at the whistle during the draw conceded by FCB against Granada (2-2), Soto Grado had also refused a goal from Joao Félix in added time, sanctioning an offside position by Ferran Torres. “Who is Ferran interfering with?” Xavi was outraged this time. Last November, the controversy returned again and again to the Campo de fútbol de Vallecas. Held in check by Rayo (1-1), Barça considered itself wronged after two contentious actions: a push from Lejeune on Lewandowski and another clearer contact between Espino and Raphinha, ultimately not sanctioned.

Often singled out for arbitration allegedly to its advantage, Real Madrid has, at the same time, reinforced the feeling of injustice on the side of Catalonia. Against Almeria, the Merengues had reversed the debates (3-2) before finding themselves at the heart of a huge scandal. The disputed penalty awarded to Bellingham, the questionable equalizer from Vinicius and the 3-1 goal refused (rightly) in Almeria thus found themselves at the center of all the debates. Enough to also provoke the anger of Joan Laporta, president of the Culers. “We see situations that worry us a lot and if we continue like this it will be very difficult for us to achieve our goals. As a club we must act. I am a president who does not hide from confronting situations and I think I have to raise my voice in this case because I see an injustice and when we see this injustice we denounce it and we want those who have responsibility to resolve this problem are taking steps and decisions to address it.”

Asked about this, Xavi also expressed his frustration. “It will be very difficult to win this championship. I already said it at Getafe. I saw things that didn’t add up. I remember Getafe’s penalty, the obvious Raphinha penalty at Vallecas and Joao Felix’s disallowed goal at Granada. We would have six points more now. These are not excuses, they are realities. I will stick to the words of Garitano and journalist Alfredo Relaño. We would have had six more points if things were done correctly this season… But we don’t talk about it. We can’t do anything but keep working.”. Bitter and more upset than ever towards the arbitration, FC Barcelona can, whatever happens, draw a line under the final title. Relegated to eleven points behind the Merengues with six days remaining, Jules Koundé’s partners will now have to put aside this immense frustration to resist Girona, third only two short lengths away…