Alba handball missed by referee and the VAR
A cross from Jesus Navas hit the Barcelona player on his extended arm in the Barça box, but nothing was given.
A cross from Sevilla’s Jesus Navas caused controversy in the 60th minute of their LaLiga match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, when it hit Jordi Alba’s extended arm in the Barça area.
Clear penalty from Alba
The referee Juan Martinez Munuera considered the action for several seconds before deciding to award nothing, with his decision then being checked by the VAR who agreed with the initial decision. However our resident referee Iturralde González explained that the Barcelona player should have been punished: “It’s a penalty. Alba makes himself big knowing the ball is going there and he extends the arm. It’s a handball. It’s completely clear”.
Our resident referee also explained that in situations like this it’s the on field referee who has the final say. “From the VAR they’ll say ‘Hey ref, you decide’. The referee hasn’t seen the handball. It’s clearly inside and it’s a penalty. His mistake is he hasn’t gone over to watch the action. If he’s got doubts he can decide to see the footage. [The VAR] should have told him to go and see the footage”.
