Barça miss out ...how the 2022/23 LaLiga table would look without VAR interventions

VAR has changed football forever and despite its many detractors, video technology is set to play a major role in how football is officiated going forward. This technology was introduced in LaLiga five years ago to correct refereeing errors and has broken the record for interventions in a single season, with 179 calls from the VOR room this 2022-23 season (behind the record of 156 in 2019-20). This season alone, the outcome of 38 games has changed and these decisions have been decisive in determining the outcome of the final standings in the LaLiga Santander table.

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In a hypothetical classification without VAR in the Spanish top flight, Barcelona would not be champions, but Real Madrid. The Catalans side finished the season with 88 points, but without the use of video technology in their games, they would have done so with six less. VAR considered that the referees were wrong on four occasions in the games against: Valencia, Athletic, Real Madrid. In the final game of the season away in Vigo, Barça were on the wrong side of a VAR decision in a game that saw Celta secure all three points. Real Madrid, on the other hand had 25 VAR interventions with four being decisive and cost points for ‘Los Blancos’. Without video technology being used they would have added six more points to their tally and won the league title in this hypothetical scenario.

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Technology has also been decisive in deciding who secured the UEFA Conference League place. Osasuna claimed seventh spot in the table but without the VAR the side it would have been Andoni Iraloa’s Rayo Vallecano getting their passports ready for European action next season. In the other ‘hot spot’ of the table, the relegation battle would have ended the same, although Valladolid, Espanyol and Elche would have picked up fewer points.

Sevilla most ‘benefited’ team

Looking at the overall LaLiga table, Real Madrid are the club who saw most decisions go against them when technology intervened with a call going the ‘other way’ 17 times. Video usage went the way of Carlo Ancelotti’s men seven times during the season. The ranking is completed with Valencia (13 decisions against, Espanyol (11) and Rayo (10). The sides that have seen fewer video corrections against are Real Sociedad (5) and Atlético, Barcelona, Getafe and Girona, all with six.

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As for the teams who have most benefited from VAR corrections, Sevilla (13) occupy pole position, followed by Girona (12) and Atlético, Betis and Elche, with eleven. Conversely, those that have experienced fewer calls from the VAR booth in their favor are Espanyol and Mallorca (5 each); Athletic, Osasuna, Valladolid and Villarreal (6), and Barcelona and Real Madrid (7).