Netherlands legend calls out VAR officials for the penalty on Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid won 2-0 against Real Betis in a match that featured two goals from Kylian Mbappe. 

The second goal came from a penalty, which was awarded after a controversial play involving Vinicius Jr. and Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva. 

During the incident, Silva came out to challenge Vinicius, who presumably made an effort to initiate contact with the goalkeeper, even going so far as to strike Silva’s leg. Initially, referee Alberola Rojas did not call a foul, believing there was an offside in the buildup. 

However, after being advised by the VAR official, Muniz Ruiz, to review the incident on the monitor, Rojas reversed his decision and awarded the penalty.

This decision drew criticism from various quarters, including football legend Marco van Basten. He expressed his disbelief at the penalty call, stating,

“Vinicius kicked the goalkeeper in the legs and he didn’t even do anything,” he was quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

“What nonsense must the VAR have to see this as a penalty? It’s a typical example of the fact that the VAR has never played a match. If he had, he would know,” he added.

Earlier in the match, Real Madrid had appealed for two other penalties. One was for an alleged handball by Diego Llorente, and the other for what they claimed was a foul on Dani Ceballos.

In both instances, Rojas, who was involved in making the decisions, did not award a penalty, much to the frustration of the Real Madrid players and fans.

Following this unusual sequence of events, the VAR intervened when Vinicius went to the ground and asked the referee to review the play on the monitor.

After watching the replay, Rojas overturned his initial offside call and decided to award a penalty to Real Madrid. This decision added to the ongoing debate about the use of VAR in football and whether it is always applied consistently and fairly.