Arturo Vidal, FC Barcelona's new signing, sat down for an interview with Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo and the player was not going to turn down an opportunity to point some criticism the way of bitter rivals Real Madrid.
No-VAR fortune for Madrid, says Vidal
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system worked well, by most people's account, during the World Cup in Russia, and this season has been introduced to the Spanish league. It is yet to be confirmed whether or not it will form a part of the 2018/19 Champions League although it appears t be only a matter of time before we see it across the board.
#AVANCEMD: Este viernes, la entrevista completa de @mundodeportivo a @kingarturo23 😀 https://t.co/XwpRQxCSRf Por @JoanPoquiEraso pic.twitter.com/sbjKLHIhjD
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) 23 August 2018
And it is VAR that came up as a topic of debate in Vidal's interview (an advance released ahead of the full version on Friday) with the Chilean stating that had it already existed in European football's top club competition, he would have been more successful. The player was clear - repeating claims he's made in the past - that he feels the referees in the games between his Bayern Munich and Real Madrid favoured the Spanish side in the latter stages of the competition.
"With VAR, Bayern would have had two more Champions League titles and Real Madrid two fewer," the new Barça midfielder claimed, referring to recent seasons when he was a part of the Bundesliga giants and lost out to Madrid.
To Barça with dreams of glory
The 31-year old then explained his objectives after making the move to Spain, still dreaming of Uefa's top prize:
"I have come to win everything, arriving at a new team, a new competition, and LaLiga excites me a lot."
LaLiga Santander
Table | PTS | W | D | L |
---|---|---|---|---|
1Sevilla | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2Barcelona | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
3Levante | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Next matches | |
---|---|
Valladolid - Barcelona | S-25/08 22:15 |
Barcelona - Huesca | D-02/09 18:30 |
R. Sociedad - Barcelona | S-15/09 16:15 |
*Update 23 de agosto de 2018