King's Cup: Refereeing in Atlético vs Barça sparks controversy in Spain

In Spain, the refereeing of the King's Cup showdown between Atlético and Barça has been hotly debated since Thursday evening.

The controversy surrounding Juan Martínez Munuera's officiating during the clash against Atlético Madrid yesterday (4-0) has caused a major uproar at FC Barcelona since last night. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan club is even considering filing a formal complaint with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Immediately after the match, Hansi Flick criticized the referee, insisting that Giuliano Simeone should have been booked in the opening minutes for a foul on his left-back, Alejandro Balde. The controversy only grew as the match went on, especially after Pau Cubarsí's goal was disallowed following nearly seven minutes of VAR review in the second half.

The Technical Committee of Referees, for its part, cited a digital “skeleton” detection error, which forced the VAR team to manually draw the offside lines. This explanation has been criticized as unconvincing and too haphazard to establish the truth, especially with the scoreline at 4-0.

Joshua SOSSOU

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As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.