Mateu Lahoz criticizes the referee of the Barcelona-Valencia match

Former referee Mateu Lahoz criticises VAR decisions and inconsistencies in first half of Barcelona v Valencia
Barcelona showed their dominance in the first half against Valencia, scoring five goals in an impressive display. However, the first 45 minutes were characterised by two controversial incidents, which former international referee Mateu Lahoz analysed on Spanish radio station COPE’s Tiempo de Juego programme.
The first controversial moment came when Valencia players appealed for a penalty after Casado’s tackle on Almeida.
A penalty awarded against Szczesny for a foul on Hugo Duro was later overturned after referee Soto Grado, on the advice of VAR del Cerro Grande, reviewed an earlier foul by Gaya on Kounde.
Mateu Lahoz criticised the inconsistency in penalty decisions, arguing that if the previous incident in Valencia’s favour was not considered a penalty, the same criteria should be applied consistently.
“In this case, it is clear that there was contact with the ball, but if that is the standard, the previous penalty on Almeida should have also been a penalty,” Lahoz said.
Lahoz also expressed his frustration at the length of the VAR review. “We have said this repeatedly – this is not football. You cannot spend more than a minute reviewing the screen. It should only be used to make clear decisions,” he said.
Lahoz also criticised the 24-second wait to overturn Valencia’s penalty, referring to a similar 37-second review in a previous match between Real Sociedad and Girona.
The moments highlighted the controversy surrounding VAR and its impact on the game.