Girona vs Barcelona: Referees Committee Says VAR Error Cost Barca in 2-1 Montilivi Defeat
Girona beat Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Montilivi on Monday night ET, but postmatch debate has centered on a moment that may have decided the game. A clear stamp by Girona’s Claudio Echeverri on Barcelona’s Jules Kounde went unpunished on the field and was not flagged by the VAR team. The Technical Committee of Referees considers that a procedural error that should have led to a review and a disallowed goal.
Refereeing panel: the intervention should have happened
Members of the Technical Committee of Referees have concluded the episode meets the threshold for VAR intervention. The stamp on Kounde occurred in the build-up to Fran Beltrán’s late goal and is judged by the committee to be part of the same attacking phase that produced the strike. Under the intervention criteria the committee has applied this season, that sequence was not a subjective or grey-area decision.
The committee’s view is that, when the on-field referee misses a clear infringement, the VAR specialist should prompt the official to review the footage on the pitchside monitor. In this match the VAR specialist appointed for the game did not advise a review, and the goal stood. The committee says that left no room for interpretation and that the correct procedure would have been to call the incident back for review and potentially overturn the goal.
While the committee reviews incidents each week to tighten guidance and reduce doubts, this particular moment will not appear in the committee’s nightly review program for the coming show because selections are made on Sunday. It remains likely to surface in a subsequent edition as part of ongoing procedural analysis.
On the field: missed chances and growing concerns for Barcelona
On the pitch, Barcelona created enough opportunities to put the game beyond doubt but failed to convert. Pau Cubarsí opened the scoring in the second half, only for Thomas Lemar to level the match. In the closing stages Girona struck back through Fran Beltrán to complete the comeback. For Barcelona, the defeat compounds a difficult spell that has seen defensive issues resurface and a worrying inability to turn chances into goals.
Recent numbers underline the concern: the side has struggled to find the net at a rate that matches the volume of chances it creates. In a run of matches highlighted by the coaching staff’s frustration, Barcelona converted far fewer opportunities than expected, leaving them vulnerable when opponents capitalise on the few clear chances they create. The result at Montilivi has immediate consequences in the title race, with Barcelona slipping behind their rivals after a compact five-day period that saw hopes of cup progression dented and domestic momentum lost.
What happens next
The refereeing committee’s assessment increases pressure on officials and the VAR operation to apply established intervention criteria consistently. Internally, the committee will examine why the VAR room did not trigger a review and whether additional training or clearer protocols are needed to prevent similar oversights.
For Barcelona, attention will quickly turn back to on-field remedies: tightening up defensively, improving finishing, and responding in the coming fixtures to arrest the slip in form. Girona, meanwhile, will take confidence from a hard-fought victory and the three points that keep them competitive in the table.
Expect refereeing bodies and clubs alike to dissect the moment in the days ahead. With the committee set to include the incident in a future review program, the episode at Montilivi is likely to fuel further debate over VAR’s role and its limits in clearing up match-defining incidents.
