Spanish referees ask for review of VAR offside lines in La Liga

The ESPN FC crew break down why Real Madrid couldn’t take advantage of Barcelona’s upset loss against Leganes, instead losing themselves to Sevilla.

The Spanish Referee Committee (CTA) has requested a review of the tool used to determine offside positions in Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

Reports in Spain said Leganes’ opening goal in their 2-1 win over Barcelona on Wednesday should not have been awarded because Jonathan Silva was offside when he received the ball before setting up Nabil El Zhar.

El Chiringuito TV reported that the lines drawn by VAR when looking at the position of the striker and the defender were off and, had they been straight, Silva would have been shown to be ahead of play by 16 centimetres.

Asked whether VAR had made a mistake, a CTA spokesperson told ESPN FC: “We have reported to La Liga and to the VAR technical support for the tool to be checked in order to see if it’s properly adjusted.

“We are aware that they are working hard to perfect the use of VAR and avoid situations such as the one described.”

Earlier this month, CTA president Carlos Velasco Carballo said the VAR lines that set offside “are not 100 percent reliable.”

VAR, implemented in La Liga this season, has received a mixed reaction, but Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives said he believed it was “beneficial” and added: “We want it to be used with the right criteria.”

This week, UEFA announced plans to use the technology in the Champions League from next season.

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