Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has shed light on one of the most debated moments from the Alaves vs Real Madrid clash last weekend.
The incident in question involved Vinicius Jr., whose appeal for a penalty was waved away by referee Garcia Verdura, with VAR official Gonzalez Fuertes opting not to intervene.
In the explanatory video released by the CTA, the committee acknowledged that the action involving Vinicius could, under certain circumstances, result in a penalty.
However, they firmly stood by the on-field and VAR decisions taken during the match, stressing that the interpretation hinged on the referee’s assessment of intensity.
What was said?
Delving into the laws of the game, the CTA offered a detailed explanation rooted in the wording of the regulations.
As they clarified, “Rule 12 establishes that fouls are penalised when a player acts recklessly, or with excessive force.
“In actions involving contact, the interpretation depends on the intensity and cannot always be measured objectively. They depend on the referee’s perception.
“Determining whether the contact caused the forward to fall is something that the referee on the field must interpret based on what he sees and assesses in real time.
🚨 El CTA analiza el posible PENALTI a VINICIUS contra el ALAVÉS.
❌ Y deja claro que el VAR hizo bien no revisando la jugada.
🔙 Lo adelantó @JuanfeSanzPerez anoche en @elchiringuitotv.pic.twitter.com/Rg0fDRWbVQ https://t.co/rNZXsu9i2u
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) December 16, 2025
“The CTA considers that the action is subject to interpretation because it depends on the intensity of the contact, so VAR should not intervene as it is not a clear and obvious error,” they explain.
There is more to the story
The committee went a step further by underlining the broader principle behind VAR usage.
According to the CTA, consistency in refereeing can only be achieved if the referee’s original criterion is respected in subjective situations.
This point was reinforced by contrasting the Vinicius incident with a separate controversy from the Celta vs Athletic Club match involving Inaki Williams.
In that game, VAR referee Trujillo Suarez advised Hernandez Hernandez to review an incident involving Carreira and Williams, leading to a reversal of the original decision.
The CTA was critical of that intervention, emphasising that it did not align with the VAR protocol.
To further support their stance, the CTA highlighted that the actions involving Nahuel Tenaglia on Vinicius and Carreira on Williams were practically identical.
By using both situations as reference points, the committee illustrated where the VAR application was correct and where it was not.
In doing so, they backed Gonzalez Fuertes’ decision while openly pointing out the mistake made by Trujillo Suarez in Vigo.