Barcelona Demands Greater Refereeing Transparency From RFEF

FC Barcelona has formally written to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to express what it describes as deep concern over repeated refereeing inconsistencies and a lack of transparent criteria in Spanish competitions. The letter, sent on Saturday 14 February and addressed to RFEF President Rafael Louzán, the President of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), the head of VAR and the federation’s Director of Legal Affairs, outlines a series of complaints the club believes are damaging the integrity and credibility of the competition.

In the document, Barcelona denounces what it sees as a lack of consistency in disciplinary decisions, particularly when similar incidents result in different sanctions. The club argues that such disparities create a perception of double standards incompatible with the principles of fairness, equality and legal certainty that should govern professional football. According to the letter, comparable on-field actions have been judged differently across matches, leading to confusion and frustration among players, staff and supporters.

The club also highlights what it considers contradictory interpretations of handball incidents inside the penalty area, including in matches officiated by the same referees. Barcelona maintains that the absence of uniform criteria has reinforced perceptions of arbitrariness and unpredictability in the application of the rules.

Beyond isolated incidents, the Catalan side points to what it calls an accumulation of significant refereeing errors throughout the season, many of them decisive and detrimental to the club. It argues that the repeated nature of such mistakes goes beyond individual human error and risks undermining trust in the integrity of the competition as a whole.

A substantial portion of the letter focuses on the use of VAR. Barcelona expresses reasonable doubts about the correct application of the technology, particularly in millimetre-level decisions that are not accompanied by conclusive technical explanations. The club also criticises what it sees as insufficient transparency in the management and publication of VAR audio recordings, calling for the full release of all communications, regardless of whether an on-field review takes place.

Barcelona further questions the criteria used to determine when referees are instructed to consult the pitch-side monitor, suggesting that the absence of clear and consistent standards contributes to perceptions of inequality and insecurity in decision-making.

Despite the strong tone of its message, the club insists that its initiative is not intended to question the professionalism of referees. Instead, it frames its demands as a call for urgent reform aimed at ensuring consistency in refereeing decisions, equal treatment between clubs, and the protection of the credibility and prestige of Spanish competitions. Among its proposals is the creation of a specific disciplinary code for referees that would establish public and transparent consequences in cases of serious errors or negligence, with the stated goal of strengthening confidence in the system for the benefit of all clubs.

Barcelona concludes by urging the federation to treat its concerns with the utmost seriousness and to adopt concrete measures to prevent similar situations in the future, seeking what it describes as a clear, stable and equitable refereeing framework across Spanish football.

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