The controversy arose from an incident where Chupete, a Málaga player, was fouled inside the box by two players from the Galician team. Despite protests at the time, the play was not penalized, a decision that the CTA has now deemed incorrect.
“"When you sit here, you find yourself in a complex situation. We don't want them to give us anything, nor to take anything away. The CTA confirms to us that it was a penalty. I already said during the match that there was a penalty. The referee told us that the VAR had checked it and there was nothing. We all try to push for everything to be fairer. It's useless now. You can't go to VAR for every play, but you can for decisive situations like that one. Now what will happen is that when it goes against you, it will be reviewed immediately. What can we do… Just think about the honesty of everyone involved."
According to the explanation provided by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), for an action to be considered a penalty, it must meet one or both of these conditions: that the defender's subsequent contact after touching the ball is reckless or uses excessive force, or that said contact prevents the attacker from continuing to dispute or control the ball.
In Chupete's specific case, the CTA determined that the second circumstance was met, as the ball was within reach and the Málaga CF player could have contested it. Therefore, the referee's decision on the field was not correct, and the VAR should have intervened to review the action, calling it a “clear, obvious, and manifest error.”
