Spanish FA accuses TV producer of manipulating VAR images
The TV images appeared to originally show Cheryshev's goal for Valencia against Athletic as being offside.
The war between the Spanish FA and TV producer Mediapro shows no sign of coming to a conclusion. The latest round of conflict centres on the match between Athletic and Valencia. The television coverage added lines to the footage of Cheryshev's winning goal, which showed that it was offside, however the VAR, having reviewed the action, held that the goal was valid.
TV images different to VAR
In the second half, the television coverage played the images used by the VAR, which showed that the goal was in fact legal, however according to the Spanish FA the damage had already been done, by creating doubt and confusion over the criteria of the VAR.
Spanish FA threatens action
In a statement released after the game the FA accused the TV producer of having shown "images with a hypothetical offside line that did not correspond to the VAR offside line" which lacked "technical rigour" and which offered a "distorted vision of the play". According to the Spanish FA, "manipulating the images" could lead the public to "question the referee".
The Spanish FA statement concluded by saying that if the behaviour was repeated "with the aim of discrediting the reliability of the VAR technology" they would take legal action against Mediapro.