For the first time in Spanish football, the dialogue between referees has been published when the central referee goes to the monitor to review a move. The audio recordings came to light late this Saturday, but the game in which the above review took place took place this Friday, when Sevilla hosted Alavés at the Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium and lost (2-3). This is the premiere of a measure agreed between the association and LaLiga to “publish the images and audio of the conversations between the on-field referee and the VAR referee when a review of the game takes place on the on-field monitor.”
In the 77th minute of that match, referee José Hernández Hernández was called out of the VOR box by referee Juan Luis Pulido Santana to consider a possible penalty in favor of Sevilla for a foul by Carlos Benavídez on Mariano Díaz. The audio recording released this Saturday begins with Hernández Hernández receiving a clear message from Pulido Santana: “I recommend that you look at the screen.” “Have you finished the images?” replies the main referee, making sure that he has none Wasted time approaching the monitor and then exclaims, “I'm talking!”, dissuading the players who began to surround him.
A few moments after receiving the confirmation, Hernández Hernández turned to the monitor. On the way he asked with a certain enthusiasm for “quiet on the bench”, and then the verbal exchange began, in which both referees commented on the move in question. “You can see that he is anticipating,” says Pulido Santana from the VOR room, and the central referee asks him to wait a few more seconds to make the decision: “Let me see who is playing the ball, it is important to see who is playing the ball.” Next, ask for a front angle of the play.
They give him the shot he asked for, and after a few seconds the verdict comes in: “The impact comes from behind, straight to the front, penalty number 23, no card, just penalty,” he says, as if he were speaking himself. Then he turns around, makes the typical gesture during a review and announces his decision to the entire Pizjuán, who roars in the background when he hears the verdict: It's a punishment. Hernández Hernández dodges a few more claims and then gets into position to see how Lucas Ocampos tied the game at that moment.
More information
The Spanish Football Federation announced just a few weeks ago that the VAR audios would be released when the central referee was called out of the VOR room to bring the monitor closer. It was expected that this would happen during one of the two semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup, a competition in which, although dialogue between the referees had taken place, the situation in which the central referee was called in front of the monitor had not yet arisen . It finally happened for the first time on matchday 20 of LaLiga.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.