The Colombian Football Federation revealed the audio of the VAR of the penalty sanctioned in favor of Atlético Nacional in Tunja, an action that ended up dividing opinions between the referees and reopened the debate on the interpretation of the plays within the area.
Photo: Atlético Nacional
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The play that marked the closure of the game between Boyacá Chicó and Atlético Nacional, by date 14 of the Betplay League, continues to generate debate. The penalty sanctioned in the final stretch of the meeting, which allowed the Antioquia team to tie 1-1 in Tunja, was once again a national issue after the publication of the Audios of the VAR, in which the lack of consensus among the referees who reviewed the action was evident.
The penalty that changed the result
It ran the 89th minute when Alfredo Morelos fell into the area after slight contact with defender Arlen Bangguero. The central judge, Jairo Mayorga, in the first instance let the play and sanctioned the finish line. However, the VAR intervention changed the course of the party. After reviewing the action on the screen, the referee decided to point out the criminal point, which unleashed the discomfort of the premises and of much of the public opinion.
Morelos himself explained after the encounter how he lived the moment: “It is 100 percent criminal. I already had the position won, I feel the contact and I throw myself. I am very intelligent in this type of plays and thank God the penalty was given,” said the striker, recognizing that he knew how to take advantage of the situation.
The VOs of VAR: a divided dialogue
This Tuesday, the Colombian Football Federation disclosed the official audio of the VAR review, headed by Nicolás Gallo, with Jorge Guzmán as an assistant (AVAR). The registration revealed a clear division of criteria.
Guzmán was the first to express doubts about the fault:
“I observe that the player, feeling the contact, is thrown out. I do not see that prevents the movement to continue on the ball,” he heard say.
Gallo, on the other hand, interpreted the action in another way:
“What I observe is that the defender has both arms hugging the striker, the back arm and the back,” he argued, leaning for the sanction.
The exchange continued with Guzmán insisting that there was no clear grip:
“Notice that he places his arm, but he is not having the shirt as such, Nico,” he replied.
Despite the difference, Gallo decided to invite the central judge to check the play on the screen. “I have a divided decision. For me, this action is criminal,” he warned. Minutes later, Mayorga ratified the interpretation of the VAR:
“I will change the decision, I will give a penalty,” said the main referee, confirming the infraction that allowed the national draw.
Chicó, between frustration and the struggle for permanence
The defender involved, Arlen Banguero, did not hide his discomfort due to the arbitration decision. In dialogue with The snail vbarHe argued that the contact was not enough to tear down Morelos:
“I have seen it several times and it is not criminal. He is a very strong player, of the most difficult I have faced, weighs more than 90 kilos and has no logic that knocks him down with a pull. It is something that does not agree,” he explained.
Banguero also underlined the emotional impact that these types of decisions have on a team that fights not to descend:
“We know the situation in which we are, that we have not obtained results, and this affects us. Our goal is to save the category, but it greatly influences,” he added.
The table and context
With the draw, Atlético Nacional reached 24 points and remains in the fourth place of the classification, within the group of the eight. Boyacá Chicó, on the other hand, remained in box 18 with 12 units, increasingly committed in the descent table.
In the descent table, the Boyacense team sum 114 points and an average of 1.01above Magdalena Union (0.76)which continues in a critical zone after the descent of Envigado
Beyond the result, the revelation of the VAR audio once again puts the consistency of arbitration decisions and the transparency of the system in the center of the debate. The contradiction between the cabin assistants themselves reopens an old discussion: to what extent does videarbitraje reduce errors … and when does it begin to generate them?
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