{"id":56889,"date":"2025-09-23T23:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T21:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weisetech.dev\/fc-barcelona-noticias\/en\/iturralde-huijsen-the-var-and-contradictory-message_314806_102\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:39:08","slug":"iturralde-huijsen-the-var-and-contradictory-message_314806_102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fcbarcelonanoticias.com\/en\/laliga\/iturralde-huijsen-the-var-and-contradictory-message_314806_102.html","title":{"rendered":"Iturralde criticizes the CTA for the Huijsen case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eduardo Iturralde Gonz\u00e1lez, former First Division referee and arbitration analyst, maintains that the Technical Committee of Referees should have “agreed” with the referee who sent off Dean Huijsen<\/h2> \r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n Calendar of FC Barcelona <\/a>\r\n<\/div>

Eduardo Iturralde Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>, one of the most recognizable former referees in Spanish football and a regular voice in the media, has analyzed current arbitration issues in a conversation with Flashscore Espa\u00f1a<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>

The retired referee argues that, in the action that led to the expulsion of Dean Huijsen<\/strong>, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA)<\/strong> should have supported the field referee:<\/p>

Huijsen, the VAR, and a \u201ccontradictory\u201d message<\/h2>

For Iturralde, the CTA’s handling of the expulsion of Huijsen<\/a><\/strong> involved an error in approach. \u201cIf they say that for them it is a yellow card but they understand that for the VAR it is gray, then it is also gray for the field referee<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>

Under that premise, he concludes, the Committee \u201cshould have agreed with the referee<\/em>\u201d instead of suggesting that the action warranted a yellow card. The problem, he points out, is not so much the specific interpretation as \u201cthe lack of clarity in the message<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>

Iturralde: \u201cIf for the VAR it is gray after seeing five replays, for the referee, who only has one, it is also gray<\/em>\u201d.<\/p> <\/blockquote>

The former referee defends a clear institutional message, criticizes the direction of the body between external pressures and contradictory communicative decisions, and asks to limit the intervention of the VAR<\/strong> to objective matters, leaving interpretable plays to the referee’s discretion.<\/p>

Handballs: \u201cThe real debate is at the extremes\u201d<\/h3>

Iturralde contextualizes the eternal controversy of handballs in the area: \u201c95% of handballs do not generate problems<\/em>\u201d. In his opinion, the controversy is concentrated in borderline cases, where the rule clashes with the assessment. \u201cIf there are a thousand handballs a year, seven, eight, or ten are talked about<\/em>\u201d, he summarizes. Therefore, he also demands communicative consistency to not amplify the feeling of chaos.<\/p>

Simulations and slow motion: football, a contact sport<\/h3>

Iturralde directs his gaze towards another focus: simulation. With the VAR, he argues, the forward seeks contact and the defender masks it, while slow motion \u201cmagnifies<\/em>\u201d slight impacts: \u201cWe forget that football is a contact sport<\/em>\u201d. The still photo, he adds, \u201cis not useful for refereeing<\/em>\u201d because it does not measure the intensity of grabs or pushes.<\/p>

When should the VAR intervene?<\/h2>
\"El
The VAR did not send off Mastantuono after a hard tackle on Romero in the Madrid Espanyol match<\/div> <\/div> <\/div>

A supporter of the system in objective matters (goals with the hand, offside), he is more restrictive in interpretable matters. \u201cIn plays involving grabs or pushes, I would leave it only to the referee<\/em>\u201d. He rejects labels such as \u201cless interventionist\u201d: \u201cThe VAR should intervene when there are clear, obvious, and manifest errors<\/em>\u201d. And he emphasizes its main virtue for the referee: \u201cIt removes the fear of a very serious error<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>

Pressures, CTA design, and partisan videos<\/h3>

Iturralde expresses his concern about the \u201cdrift<\/em>\u201d of the CTA, which in his opinion should be \u201ca strong body, impervious to pressures<\/em>\u201d within the RFEF. He questions the presence of profiles unrelated to arbitration in designation bodies and criticizes the \u201cbattle for control<\/em>\u201d between bodies. Regarding club videos that select errors against them, he describes them as \u201cadvantageous exposure<\/em>\u201d that \u201cindoctrinates<\/em>\u201d its audience because it does not include successes or failures in favor.<\/p>

The \u2018Negreira case\u2019, distance, and discredit<\/h2>

The former referee defines the matter as \u201cone of the most abominable episodes<\/em>\u201d, but defends that the then vice president of the CTA \u201cdid not have the capacity to influence international designations<\/em>\u201d nor promotions\/relegations, and recalls stages with draws<\/strong> and with a triumvirate<\/strong> in the designation. He asks that the trail of the money be clarified<\/strong> \u201cfor the good of arbitration, the competition, and its credibility<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>

Respect for the referee and the weight of the matches<\/strong><\/p>

For Iturralde, the credibility of the referee has always been in question due to a \u201ccultural<\/em>\u201d issue. And he relativizes the complexity of the Cl\u00e1sico compared to a duel for permanence: \u201cIt is more difficult to referee relegation: it stays with you for life<\/em>\u201d. He defends dialogue with the players, but \u201cwithout falling into condescension<\/em>\u201d and with a priority: that the ball is in play to reduce conflicts.<\/p>

Handballs, simulation, and the \u201cpredictable\u201d referee<\/strong><\/p>

The common thread of his thesis is predictability<\/strong>: that players and fans know in advance how actions are interpreted. Again, he asks for coherence between the criteria on the field and that of the VAR, and institutional messages without ambiguities to not erode confidence.<\/p>

Key takeaways from Iturralde<\/h2>