Late Drama and the Referee Shake-Up in Girona-Barcelona
17 February 2026
Late drama in Girona-Barcelona sparks a refereeing shake-up
Barcelona's costly loss sparked headlines across Spain as questions swirled around the late winner and the video assisted decision that preceded it.
Spanish press reported that the referees technical committee decided to discipline the video assisted referee for the match after the controversy over the late goal in Montilivi.
The Blaugrana fell 2-1 on Monday night in La Liga’s round 24, letting Real Madrid overtake them at the top of the table.
The defeat followed a controversial moment in the 80th minute when a scramble near the Barca box involved a Girona challenge that halted Conde's run and led to Fran Beltrán's winner.
Barcelona players protested the referee decision.
AS reported that the referees technical committee saw a missed foul in Conde's favor in the sequence leading to Girona's goal at Montilivi.
In this context, Iturralde Gonzalez, a refereeing expert for AS and Cadena SER, said the goal should not have stood because the clash prevented the defender from continuing, and Conde should have received a yellow card for recklessness.
In a later report, AS confirmed that the committee led by Fran Soto decided to suspend VAR official David Galvis Rascon indefinitely.
Light penalty for the Madrid vs Real Sociedad VAR official
In another development, the same paper said the committee issued a lighter sanction to Daniel Jesús Troquijo, who ran VAR in the Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad match at the Bernabéu, and he will be reassigned as an assistant VAR in his next assignment.
Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4-1 last Saturday, a match that saw Vinícius Júnior awarded two penalties against the same player, converting both.
The committee thinks the second penalty against Jon Aramburo in favor of Vinícius was a complex call, but the VAR room should have summoned Hernández Maeso to review it.
Punchline 1: If drama were a sport, VAR would be the referee—always delaying the final call until the next matchday.
Punchline 2: In football, the ball may cross the line, but the real drama crosses into the VAR room after the whistle.
