This Wednesday, Diego Pablo Simeone expressed his discontent that the leak of the VAR audios of the League match between Real Madrid and Almería is making more noise than the content of said audios themselves. “It doesn’t matter what they filter, but what happens, but they think that we are all stupid and that is what makes them angry,” the Atlético de Madrid coach said angrily this Wednesday, in the press conference prior to his team faces Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.
El Cholo refers to the VAR audios of the match played at the Santiago Bernabéu, which was involved in controversy following three monitor reviews that ended in decisions favorable to Real Madrid. The audios of these three reviews were made public as indicated by the new rule imposed by the Spanish Football Federation, which orders the broadcast of referee exchanges when the central referee is called to the monitor.
However, Simeone was not only referring to the official audios, but also to another series of them that should not have been made public because they did not involve monitor reviews, but which were leaked on the Twitch channel Giants and that have increased the controversy.
In them you can see how Hernández Maeso, central referee, and Hernández Hérnandez, VAR referee, comment on the moments following an action between Vinicius and Pozo, in which Almería requested the expulsion of the Brazilian footballer for attacking his player. “For me nothing, there is a struggle between the two, he complains regarding his face,” says Hernández Maeso, following which Hernández Hernández points out: “Yes, when he goes to take it off with his arm, when he swings it, it hits him, he is going to knock it off.” get out of the way and hit him in the face,” they tell the central referee from the VOR room, who pauses the match in case they suggest he approach the monitor to review the action. A few seconds pass and Hernández Hernández says “let’s go live”, concluding that the play does not need review to evaluate a possible attack by Vinicius. After this, Hernández Maeso resumes the match normally.
The leak of the audios did not take long to provoke a response from the Federation, which this Tuesday announced that it would report the events to the Civil Guard, to begin an internal investigation and find those responsible. The decision of the federative body, to which the Technical Committee of Referees belongs, has generated a stir that, for Simeone, should not have as much attention as the content of said audios should have.
Cholo’s reaction came following a question he asked the coach if, with the pressure from Real Madrid TV, on the one hand, and from the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, on the other, he considered that it was the worst time for be a referee. “It is very difficult [ser árbitro]because depending on where you stand, there are always situations. I think the referees are having a moment of great aversion,” Simeone first conceded. Afterwards, the mattress coach raised the tone: “The VAR improves them, but at the same time it exposes them. Then we start to discuss whether the leaking of the audio is okay, but it doesn’t matter what they leak, but rather what happens, but they think that we are all stupid and that is what makes us angry,” Simeone finally stated.
