Arbitral controversy in the final: VAR and the referee forgive two red cards to Real Madrid

Brutal tackle by Tchouameni on Dani Olmo: only yellow card

It was the first half when Aurélien Tchouameni made a very hard tackle on Dani Olmo, executing a scissor tackle on the supporting leg of the Azulgrana player. The action twisted the ankle of the Spanish international, generating great concern on the Barça bench.

To everyone's surprise, referee De Burgos Bengoetxea only showed a yellow card, while VAR, with González Fuertes in charge, did not consider it necessary to intervene to review the play. An action that, by regulation, should have been sanctioned as a direct red card.

See Tchouameni's tackle on Dani Olmo here.

Controversy in the area: clear penalty on Pau Cubarsí ignored

The refereeing controversy did not end there. Minutes later, Dani Ceballos committed a clear penalty on Pau Cubarsí inside the area, tripping and knocking him down when the Azulgrana center-back was looking to finish a ball. The action went completely unnoticed by both the main referee and VAR.

See Ceballos' penalty on Cubarsí here.

Second red card forgiven: Fede Valverde

To make matters worse, Fede Valverde starred in another direct expulsion action that also went unpunished. The Uruguayan recklessly hit an opponent, but again, De Burgos Bengoetxea chose not to show the red card or consult VAR.

See Valverde's action here.

Serious refereeing errors that conditioned the final

1. Tchouameni: Direct red card tackle only sanctioned with a yellow card.
2. Dani Ceballos: Penalty not called on Pau Cubarsí.
3. Fede Valverde: Action of expulsion forgiven.

Reactions on social media

Social networks exploded after the serious refereeing errors. Many users pointed out that the RMTV videos, used in previous days to put media pressure, could have influenced the criteria of De Burgos Bengoetxea and VAR during the final.

The feeling of injustice among Azulgrana fans was evident, while criticism multiplied towards the refereeing management of a match that should have been decided by sporting merits.

Context: the pressure on De Burgos and VAR

In the days leading up to the final, videos compiling alleged refereeing errors against their team were disseminated from certain media sectors related to Real Madrid, which many interpreted as a strategy to condition the refereeing performance. After what happened in the final, suspicions have only increased.