Arbitral controversy in Bucaramanga v. National: the VAR did not see a clear hand from Cristian Zapata in the box

The fifth day of the Liga BetPlay I-2023 is still in development and the match between Atletico Bucaramanga there National Athletic He left a lot to tell in the sports sphere. Apart from the draw of the Antioquia team, which continues to be in the doldrums of the home team, the main topic of conversation revolved around the refereeing of the match, as a specific play could have defined the result final of the game.

At minute 45 of the first part came the initial chapter of the controversy. On the side of Bucaramanga Christian Florez, failed to get the ball out jade barbosa and with a poorly measured kick he collapsed it in the box, the central referee Carlos Betancur He did not hesitate to sanction a penalty, yet Florez did not even see the warning, some even calling for expulsion.

The front Thomas Angel was responsible for placing the partial 0-1, however, a few minutes after the start of the second half, Gonzalo Lencina he received a cross from the right sector and headed unmarked to place the tie on the scoreboard 1-1.

It was then at minute 64′ that the group Canary He managed to generate a dangerous play on the left wing with Lencina sending in a cross but it was intercepted by defender Cristian Zapata, however, the ball hit his right hand in a clear manner which was claimed by the home team, but which was ignored by the judge.

In the following game, Nacional created a counterattack and ended up scoring a goal, but it was called off for offside thanks to the intervention of the WAS. There, fans of the Bumangués team expected the arbitration body to consider Zapata’s hand which should have awarded them a penalty, but outrage came when they decided not see the room again.

Social media was filled with comments that questioned the referee’s actions, asking some team managers to make a formal complaint about what happened:

“We’re screwed. As the popular saying goes… ‘All that belongs to the poor is stolen’. If it had been the other way around, they would have called the judge to whistle the penalty. – @jezavar03

“They stole the game from poor Bucaramanga, a good game for Teo and Lencina.” – @ivantdiaz1924

“The management must send a complaint for the poor arbitration. The VAR should have acted to notify the central judge of the double hand committed by Zapata. A shame”. – @diecab85

While this type of action may be open to interpretation by the central referee, it is the mandatory job of VAR to review plays where a penalty may be awarded. That didn’t happen, but given the positions of both teams, it seems here that the outrageous act will come to a close.

The 66-year-old Brazilian has been under the eye of the hurricane after his regular start to the season with the team Purslane. After the first five days of Liga BetPlay I-2023he king of cups They have won 1 game, tied 3 and lost 1, their most recent being against Atlético Bucaramanga, a draw where they could have lost.

Since being introduced as technical director of Nacional in October last year, Autuori has led a total of 9 games in which he has gone out with 3 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss, a record that is not not enough for Antioquia fans. club.

Although he’s just been crowned BetPlay Super League champion against Deportivo Pereira, Paulo has a lot of responsibilities ahead of him and if he can’t put his head down soon, he could find himself replaced by a new manager. in no time.