It won't be tomorrow, or possibly this season, but the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) is determined to make public the VAR audios of the most outstanding plays of each day. It has been the pressure from LaLiga and the clubs after the controversies that have been generated at the beginning of this season and specifically on the last day, which has definitively bent the reluctance of Medina Cantalejo, president of the CTA, who opposed this measure to preserve the referee's safety and not to be reprimanded for mistakes.
Extra-sporting and sporting issues have been part of the day-to-day life of the CTA since the beginning of the season. The Negreira case was joined by the labor conflict of four of the five referees who dealt with VAR last season. For this reason, this season there are only three: Jaime Latre (was there in the 2022-2023 season), Del Cerro Grande (retired) and Prieto Iglesias (promoted). The team from the previous season (Medié Jiménez, González González, Jaime Latre, Estrada Fernández, Iglesias Villanueva) was not renewed after four of them presented a conciliation appeal in defense of their labor rights. They complained that the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) only allowed them to be VAR referees for two seasons, after a measure implemented by its delegated commission on November 16, 2022. This dispute jumped into the air after the controversial Valencia- Real Madrid, after which all these referees, except Jaime Latre, were permanently removed. His complaints have already been judged and are pending resolution, but that punishment meant that on matchday 37 of the previous season, several referees had to make their debut in the VOR room.
Since then, mistakes have been common. Teams such as Celta de Vigo or Granada have raised their voices much more than others, but the general feeling in the competition is that VAR is applied in an unprofessional manner. Both LaLiga and the clubs bet on giving continuity to a specific body that the Federation, during the period of Luis Rubiales, never saw favorably and went so far as to set aside. The departure of de Motril and the intention of Medina Cantalejo to be re-elected in his position have definitely softened the positions.
"We'll see if we renew the arbitration. We must seek more transparency in the decisions and that they are understood. At least let the audios of the VAR be heard, which can lower the tension". These words of Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, on Monday were definitive. The rapprochement between employers and the Federation, led on an interim basis by Pedro Rocha until the next elections, has been fundamental in dealing with important matters. So much so that the CTA is now considering making the VAR audios public, albeit with certain nuances.
The International Board, the body that defines the rules of football, leaves it up to the state federations to broadcast the recordings at the end of the matches, but not live like that, because it believes that "it can create an unsafe environment for the referees" . Even so, it is expected that the Federation will ask for permission, although they are not very optimistic. The most realistic scenario is that the conversations come to light after the matches are over, as happens in Serie A. The fragments, which are usually a few seconds long, of the conversation between the referee and the VOR room would be offered when go to the monitor. All of this would not take place until next season.
