
BARÇA ONCE AGAIN FELL SHORT DUE TO REFEREEING
ANOTHER 'THEFT' FROM BARÇA: The penalty on Koundé that could have given the victory in Getafe
Published:18/01/2025 - 23:58h
Updated:19/01/2025 - 08:17h
The draw of FC Barcelona in Getafe (1-1) was once again marked by controversy. In the 80th minute, the referees overlooked a clear penalty by Uche on Koundé
FC Barcelona once again fell short in their visit to Getafe (1-1), a match where, for the umpteenth time this season, the refereeing harmed the team led by Hansi Flick. With ten minutes left, with Barça completely focused on the opponent's area in search of the winning goal, Christantus Uche ended up bringing down Jules Koundé inside the area, in his attempt to prevent the culé defender, scorer of the only Barça goal, from contesting a ball near the goal line.
Barça claimed a penalty in this action by Uche on Koundé.#LALIGAEASPORTS #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/CgCw3ATNd1
— Football on Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) January 18, 2025
In the 80th minute, Uche held Koundé by the arms and ended up falling on him inside the area. The foul was blatant, but the main referee Pablo González Fuertes let the play continue. The action left no room for doubt, as the ball was heading straight towards Jules at the moment of Uche's grab. The Barça players appealed for VAR intervention, but Francisco José Hernández Maeso did not see a foul by the Nigerian forward.

The history of Barça in Getafe was fulfilled
González Fuertes had also officiated the Barça-Getafe match in the first round (1-0), in which the Asturian referee also overlooked a clear penalty by David Soria on Robert Lewandowski. Fortunately for the culés, that day the Pole was able to give victory to Hansi Flick's team. On Saturday, it was impossible for this to happen, as Atlético de Madrid's slip in Butarque (a 1-0 loss to Leganés) left the table set for Real Madrid to escape in the lead.
Last season, in fact, Barça had also been robbed of a penalty at the end in the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez due to a clear foul on Ronald Araujo. César Soto Grado, the referee of the match, penalized a prior handball by Gavi instead of the foul. Saturday's incident is yet another episode in a completely adulterated League, just like the rest of the Spanish competitions, where defeating the 'white mafia' is practically an impossible mission. For example, what Celta suffered on Thursday in the Copa round of 16.