De Jong from Barcelona classifies the VAR decision as a scandal.

Frenkie de Jong, the talented midfielder for Barcelona, did not hide his indignation following his team’s humiliating defeat in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Atlético de Madrid. The 4-0 scoreline at halftime left the culés in shock, but the young Dutchman believes the outcome could have been different had Pau Cubarsi’s disallowed goal been validated. The controversy surrounding the VAR decision, which took an astonishing seven minutes to reach a conclusion, was a true scandal in De Jong’s eyes.

In statements made in the mixed zone after the final whistle, De Jong expressed his frustration: “When this play happened, I hadn’t yet managed to see the video, so it was difficult for me to give an opinion.” The midfielder did not hold back in his criticism of the VAR process, stating, “I think it’s too much time because it’s not that difficult to see, I suppose. They said the system was malfunctioning, but then I saw an image where it’s clear that he wasn’t offside.”

The situation became even more complicated when De Jong analyzed the images broadcast on television. “And then, on television, in the image they show of the offside, you can’t see the contact with the ball when he shoots, and then there’s an image where you see Fermín (Lopez) shooting and the defender is a meter behind Robert (Lewandowski). If the decision is based on the replay I saw, and if it’s not artificial intelligence or something like that, because you never know these days… but if that is the replay, then it’s a scandal, because it’s crystal clear.”

Despite his outrage at the VAR decision, De Jong did not shy away from acknowledging his team’s fragility in the first half. “It was a very poor first half for us, where we didn’t do things well, we lost the ball in dangerous areas and they were also effective on the counter-attack. We should have done better,” he admitted, emphasizing the need for a stronger response from the team in the upcoming matches.

The tension and controversy surrounding VAR continue to be hot topics in the world of football, and De Jong’s frustration reflects the growing dissatisfaction among players and fans with decisions that can change the course of a match. With the second leg of the tie on the horizon, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona will be able to turn the situation around and whether the technology that is supposed to help ensure fairness in the game will be questioned once again.