Madrid, 10 dic. (COLPISA, Ignacio Only).
Uncompromising defense of the VAR, which reaches a «98.48% success rate», valued by the Spanish collegiate, the most designated in Europe and reproaches those who exceed the limit of criticism and doubt the honesty of the braids. Under these three premises, the press conference that Carlos Velasco Carballo, president of the Referees Technical Committee, gave this Thursday to take stock of the current season.
“The referees, the Committee and the Federation accept all criticism, whether it is said that he was wrong, that he has swallowed three penalties, that he did it wrong or that he had taken five reds. We are in favor of everyone expressing themselves freely and we are firm defenders of it because it should be that way, ”said Velasco Carballo.
«Great footballers, coaches or presidents and the referees are criticized as well. Simply, and it seems logical to explain it, that there is a line that we must not cross and that are those expressions or manifestations that question the highest value of a referee as a sports judge, which is his honesty and professionalism. We cannot confuse public opinion and send a message of doubts, “he added.
Velasco Carballo acknowledged that, although the numbers “support them, you have to be self-critical.” “We are ambitious and we continue to seek improvement. We are transparent about the errors, but we ask that the successes also be given notoriety because in this first third of the season the VAR has raised the “success rate by 7.23%, to 98.48%”. That said, he admitted “199 errors” in matches in this section.
Do not intervene in case of doubt
«We consider that the balance of the first third of the season is positive, as shown by the success rates. There has been consistency in the sanction of the hands and fewer penalties indicated by light contacts, “said the former Spanish referee during his intervention. «The VAR in Spain is a reliable and predictable tool. When it intervenes, the action is clear and overt. The referee follows the VAR recommendation 95% of the time, but our philosophy is that we prefer, in case of doubt, not to intervene, knowing that there is an error that has not been corrected, “he said.
Velasco Carballo highlighted that the First Division has carried out 52 VAR interventions so far, of which 51 are considered correct. Regarding the recent controversy around the hair pulling that Madrid player Marcelo suffered against Cádiz and that it was not reviewed as a possible penalty, Clos Gómez, director of the VAR, explained that they did not have that image that was offered by the television operator that has rights.
As a relevant fact that “makes them very happy”, Velasco stressed that Spanish referees are the most designated in Europe in UEFA competitions. Specifically, they have been named in thirteen games in the Champions League, compared to twelve appointments by German referees, nine by Italians and eight by English. In Europa League games, the Spanish have been chosen for fourteen games.
In addition, the Spanish VARs have participated in 22 European matches, 19 of them in the Champions League, a fact that also makes them the most widely used in Europe. Finally, Velasco Carballo wanted to “highlight the role of Spanish referees in international competitions. “Especially, we want to highlight that Marta Huerta and Guadalupe Porras are candidates for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023,” he concluded.
.
