"The moment came early in the second half, when Cubarsi found the net in what initially looked like a crucial goal for Barcelona. However, referee Martinez Munuera held the play for a VAR review, triggering a long and confusing delay that left players, coaches and fans waiting for clarity. What was their defence? According to the CTA, the delay was not simply due to the complexity of the action but also because of technical problems with the semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT)."
""Following protocol, the VAR team analysed the play using the SAOT system. However, a system error occurred due to the tracking of the ball at the exact moment Lewandowski kicked it. šŗ Tiempo de Revisiónš¬ š£šæš¼š“šæš®šŗš® š®šā¹ļø https://t.co/ol1NAmWPBZ#ArbitrajeRFEF | @CTARFEF pic.twitter.com/sB0tLQ2O46- RFEF (@rfef) February 17, 2026 "This is why the analysis of the play took so long." Made matters worse Frias then explained that the problem was made worse by a communication failure between the system operator and the VAR room."
Pau Cubarsi's early second-half goal was disallowed after a VAR review that lasted more than seven minutes. Referee Martinez Munuera paused play for a VAR check while players, coaches and fans waited for a decision. The Technical Committee of Referees attributed the lengthy delay to a failure of the semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) at the exact moment Robert Lewandowski kicked the ball, which prevented the VAR team from confirming the offside call. A subsequent communication breakdown between the system operator and the VAR room, compounded by an error from the system provider, added several additional minutes and caused significant confusion.
Read at Barca Universal
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