Penalty Conspiracy? The Referee Committee Breaks Silence on Vinícius Jr. Penalty vs Alavés
15 December 2025
Vinícius Júnior penalty controversy: did the refereeing committee admit a VAR error?
The Spanish refereeing committee settled the debate around the penalty Real Madrid claimed against Deportivo Alavés in La Liga matchday 16.
The on-field referee García Verdura did not award a penalty after Vinícius Júnior fell inside Alavés' box in the second half, and the VAR did not review the incident.
The referee was in a good position and clearly saw the incident; VAR did not intervene.
According to the Spanish show "El Chiringuito", the consensus within the refereeing committee is that VAR should not intervene in this potential penalty, meaning the decisions were correct.
Real Madrid TV launched a sharp critique of the officiating crew despite the team's 2-1 win.
The channel noted that the referee García Verdura is Catalan and has previously refereed a Copa Joan Gamper match, while criticizing the video official.
Frans Soto, head of the refereeing committee, and others were criticized by the channel: "We change everything to keep things the same," a nod to a famous line from The Leopard about changing leaders but keeping the system intact.
The channel added that the same people remain in place, and Soto said forget the Niquerira case; this is my 'dirty' job; Real Madrid competes while being constrained, so they must play exceptionally just to compete.
The piece underscores ongoing tensions between Real Madrid and the refereeing bodies.
Punchline 1: VAR checks move faster than a striker’s sprint—blink and the decision’s already made.
Punchline 2: If football were talk show, the punchline would be the VAR error—every week a new joke with the same season finale twist.
