Controversy erupts in the Sevilla vs Barcelona match

06/10/2025 06:55:00 esportapi

The Sevilla - Barcelona match in La Liga Round 7 turned into a hot topic of debate after VAR's penalty decision sparked outrage, resulting in Hansi Flick's side suffering defeat and losing their unbeaten run.

The encounter between Sevilla and Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium unfolded in a tense atmosphere, with several moments angering the visiting fans. Barcelona entered the match with stable form and an unbeaten record, but everything quickly fell apart just 10 minutes in due to a controversial VAR intervention.

The incident occurred when Ronald Araujo collided with Isaac Romero inside the penalty area. The ball was nearly out of bounds at that moment, and referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz initially allowed play to continue, believing there was no foul. However, after receiving a signal from the VAR room led by Del Cerro Grande, Muniz Ruiz reviewed the footage and unexpectedly awarded a penalty to Sevilla.

The clash between Araujo and Romero became the focal point

Former Barca player Alexis Sanchez seized the opportunity, calmly scoring past Wojciech Szczesny to give the home team the lead. Immediately after, Ronald Araujo showed his frustration, standing still and staring at the referee in disbelief, while Barcelona players surrounded the referee to strongly protest.

Cadena SER expert Iturralde Gonzalez criticized the decision as a mistake: “Both players were pulling each other. Araujo only put his leg in front, while the Sevilla player was behind. There was no penalty here; the Sevilla player simply felt the contact and then fell.”

Former referee Perez Burrull also expressed strong opinions on Radio MARCA: “This was not a situation where VAR should intervene. The referee clearly indicated no foul, and Del Cerro cannot ‘blow the whistle’ from the VAR room.”

Araujo was furious with the referee after the penalty was awarded

After conceding the opening goal, Barcelona played disjointedly and lost composure. They allowed Sevilla to create several clear chances, including Isaac Romero missing a one-on-one opportunity before redeeming himself by scoring the second goal. Although Marcus Rashford helped Barca reduce the deficit before halftime, the visitors’ spirit could not be revived in the second half.

The match ended 2-1 in favor of Sevilla, leaving Hansi Flick and his players disappointed as they left the field. VAR once again became the focus of criticism for causing Barcelona to lose their unbeaten streak and sparked intense debate about the fairness of refereeing technology in La Liga this season.

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