VAR Referee: Changes After Atlético Controversy
The world of refereeing has been in the spotlight after the Champions League match where Atlético de Madrid was eliminated against Real Madrid.
The appointment of Tomasz Kwiatkowski, VAR referee on that occasion, for the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham in the Europa League has generated debate, especially due to the absence of Szymon Marciniak, with whom he usually works.
According to comments from a former First Division referee on Cadena SER, Kwiatkowski’s absence in Marciniak’s team is striking after the controversy of the penalty to Julián Álvarez. Instead, Alejandro José Hernández Hernández, accompanied by César Soto Grado as VAR assistant, will take the reins.
This decision has raised suspicions in some sectors, calling it ‘strange’ and unusual, given the usual collaboration between Kwiatkowski and Marciniak in European competitions, even before the Qatar World Cup.
A Tarragona referee highlighted that the usual protection would have been to give the game to the duo. Regarding the penalty disallowed to Julián Álvarez for double touch, Kwiatkowski explained that he was the one who informed the VAR referees about the high probability of the infraction, who later reviewed it. He assured that, although the situation was unprecedented in his career, the players know the rules.
