Published 14:23 IST, July 6th 2020
Barcelona president Bartomeu claims VAR favours the 'same team', hints at Real Madrid bias
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has taken a swipe at the VAR decisions that have favoured Real Madrid since the restart of football last month.
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Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu took a sly dig at the Real Madrid VAR decisions this week, hinting that the referees are biased towards Los Blancos. Real Madrid were once again awarded a controversial penalty against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday which helped Zinedine Zidane's side take a major step forward to winning the LaLiga title. However, following Blaugrana's 4-1 win against Villarreal on Sunday night, Barcelona president Bartomeu stated that the video technology has favoured only one team since the restart of football.
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Real Madrid VAR controversy: Barcelona president Bartomeu slams VAR
With the scores locked at 0-0, Zinedine Zidane's side were awarded a penalty against Athletic Bilbao in the 72nd minute on Saturday. Sergio Ramos converted from the resulting spot-kick to help Real Madrid take a major step closer towards winning their first Spanish top division title in three years. The Sergio Ramos penalty also made him the leading goalscorer since the restart. However, Bilbao felt unlucky not to receive a penalty themselves later in the game.
Barcelona president Bartomeu recently spoke to Movistar and revealed his dismay at the Real Madrid VAR decision against Atheltic Bilbao which resulted in a late penalty for Los Blancos. The 57-year-old said, "I saw the game Real Madrid vs Bilbao game and it seems that the VAR is always favouring only one team." Bartomeu then added, "I feel bad because certain teams are getting all the decisions and that makes it unfair for the other teams in LaLiga."
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Real Madrid VAR controversy: Zidane hits back at criticism
Real Madrid have secured impressive wins against Valencia, Real Sociedad and Getafe since the restart of football. However, those victories have come attached with VAR controversy. Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane stated that he is 'tired' of the questions around VAR and has demanded 'respect' for his team's performances instead.
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Barcelona news: LaLiga table
Prior to the lockdown, Barcelona held a two-point lead at the top of the LaLiga table but that has since evaporated with four matches left to play. Barcelona's draws against Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid have allowed Real Madrid to take charge of the title tace as Los Blancos won all of their seven games since the restart. Barcelona's 4-1 win against Villarreal on Sunday night put Quique Setien's side back to within four points of the league leaders on the LaLiga table.
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Image Credits - FCBarcelona.com, Sergio Ramos Twitter
Updated 14:23 IST, July 6th 2020