When VAR Stays on Playback: Barcelona’s Garcia Questions the Girona Call
17 February 2026
A refereeing decision leaves Barcelona’s Juan Garcia baffled.
Garcia s take after the Girona clash
Juan Garcia, Barcelona's goalkeeper, criticized the officiating in the round-24 La Liga clash with Girona, a 2-1 defeat that sparked heavy controversy.
Garcia said Girona were ahead, especially in the second half, pressing hard to win back the ball.
Even with some errors, it wasn't easy; they flooded our defensive area and stretched our transitions. We will study the match on video to understand and fix the errors.
The start of the year has been extremely busy, but after these two losses we must stay calm, focused, and analyze what happened.
He told fans to keep backing us; we still compete in all competitions and we aim to bounce back and stage a comeback against Atletico if possible.
On the Conde moment, he said that in real time it was very fast and unclear, but after reviewing the replay it appears to be a foul.
He suggested Conde was the first to go down, then another player collided because of the rush.
He noted that live viewing may have missed the incident, and questioned why the VAR room did not ask for a review, unlike what he did later.
In the end, the referee did his best, but the circumstances did not help him, so it was not the ideal way to handle the moment.
Yet Garcia remained respectful toward officials, emphasizing focus on upcoming matches and belief in the squad.
In short, the debate over VAR and fast plays remains open.
If VAR is a magician, the trick's always slow.
Next time, bring popcorn for the replay.
