This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
June 21, 2020, marked a significant day in the La Liga season as Real Madrid edged past Real Sociedad 2-1, climbing above Barcelona at the top of the standings. However, the home side was left aggrieved after a goal was ruled out by VAR for offside, while Karim Benzema's winner stood despite appearing to be controlled with his arm.
Barcelona manager Quique Setien has spoken out about the controversy, stating that the VAR system is not being used consistently in La Liga. 'There are things that we cannot control and that do not depend on us. Everybody saw what happened in Anoeta and everyone will draw their own conclusions,' Setien said ahead of Tuesday's match against Athletic Bilbao.
Setien expressed his concerns over the selective use of VAR, suggesting that it is not being used uniformly across matches. 'It's understandable that we think why there are some actions that are reviewed, the referee himself reviews them and they don't do the same in other plays. They do it on some matches and in some others (they don't). So you could really think that (VAR) is not being used correctly.'
Despite the controversy, Setien remains optimistic that VAR can be a valuable tool in improving the game. 'VAR is a tool that can make us better, but we have to use it to have a clearer view of reality.'
With 65 points each, Real Madrid and Barcelona are neck and neck in the standings, but Setien is convinced that the title race is still in Barcelona's hands. 'Now the margin of error is smaller, but it's also smaller for them,' he said. 'Madrid cannot make any mistakes. Many leagues are decided in the end, there are eight games left. Madrid still have to play difficult games like us.'
