The Technical Committee of Referees confirmed a technical malfunction in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system during the disallowance of Pau Cubarsí’s goal for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid in the 2026 Copa del Rey semi-final.
Cubarsí scored in the 52nd minute, but the goal was disallowed by VAR after an eight-minute review. Had it stood, it would have reduced the deficit to 4-1 in the match, which ultimately ended 4-0.
The committee issued an explanatory memo during the match, revealing that the semi-automated offside detection system (SAOT) malfunctioned during the goal analysis, forcing the VAR team to revert to manually drawing the offside lines.
Many, including coach Hansi Flick and Barcelona captain Frenkie de Jong, considered the disallowed goal a major scandal that would significantly impact Barcelona’s chances of reaching the final.
Meanwhile, former Spanish referee Javier Estrada Fernández considered what happened to be the biggest disaster in the history of VAR implementation in Spain.
“They can’t believe it,” Fernández said in an analytical video posted to his official Instagram account. “They resorted to excuses because they realized the gravity of the situation.”
The former referee criticized the image shown to illustrate the offside, pointing out that it lacked even the most basic standards of sporting accuracy, as no viewer could accurately determine the exact moment the ball left the field or where it hit the player.
Fernández concluded his angry remarks by asserting that the refereeing system in Spain is losing credibility day by day, describing the decision to disallow the goal as “unbelievable” in professional football.
