Official: Vinícius' Penalty Cancelled, García's Handball Penalty Upheld – Both Decisions Correct

Two key moments from last week’s El Clásico have been reviewed by Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), with the official body confirming the validity of the rulings.

Javier Iglesias Villanueva, operating the VAR, intervened twice to alert on-field referee César Soto Grado to initial incorrect decisions.

The first incident occurred in the first minute: Vinícius’ foul on Lamine Yamal. The VAR intervention was correct, as it was Vinícius who collided with the Barcelona player, not the other way around as initially perceived.

In fact, this was why referee Grado initially awarded a penalty to Real Madrid. As the video explanation states:

“Barcelona’s defensive player (actually Yamal) anticipated, took position, and attempted to contest the ball. Having planted his foot on the grass, the Real Madrid forward collided with him while trying to shoot. The movement was rapid, and the referee interpreted the collision in reverse, awarding a penalty to Real Madrid. If a player collides with another while contesting the ball, the foul is attributed to the player causing the impact.

In this case, the attacking player collided with the defensive player, so no penalty should have been awarded. There was no reckless behavior or excessive force, so no disciplinary action was needed.

The CTA deemed the referee’s initial penalty decision incorrect. The VAR intervention was justified due to a clear error. After reviewing the monitor, the referee corrected the decision to a foul against Barcelona, which fully complied with the rules.”

The second incident highlighted in the video was Eric García’s handball while challenging Jude Bellingham early in the second half. VAR again drew César Soto Grado’s attention to the incident.

The action was subtle, making it a complex call, but crucially, the arm involved was not a supporting arm (which would have negated a penalty). It was the opponent’s hand, and García’s contact was at a high position.

The video explained:

“A defender (Eric) attempted to block a cross by diving to the ground. He initially succeeded with his leg, but the ball rebounded off the Real Madrid forward and toward the defender.

With no legal way to clear, the defender made an additional, deliberate movement with his left arm to halt the attack. The referee missed the action and signaled a corner.

This arm movement was intentional and unnatural, aiming to increase body size to stop the ball’s progress. The CTA deemed the referee’s initial failure to award a penalty incorrect.

The VAR intervention was justified due to a clear on-field error. After reviewing the monitor, the final decision to award Real Madrid a penalty was correct.”