Rayo Vallecano Still Annoyed With Yamal's Penalty: If VAR Doesn't Work, The Game Must Stop!

Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona's match gave birth to controversy because VAR was not working which resulted in a penalty for Barcelona (Instagram/@rayovallecano).

JAKARTA - Rayo Vallecano was furious that the VAR (video assistant referee) was not working in the first half which caused the violation of Lamine Yamal in the penalty box could not be reviewed.

The referee also awarded Barcelona a penalty and Yamal successfully executed the kick in the match which ended in a 1-1 draw on Monday, September 1, 2025 WIB, at the Estadio de Vallecas.

Yamal scored from the penalty spot in the 40th minute after colliding with Pep Chavarria. Rayo Vallecano's players also protested to the referee because they believed the decision should have been canceled.

Not only that, the Yamal penalty that brought Barcelona 1-0 up sparked anger on the sidelines when coach Rayo Vallecano, Inigo Perez, also reacted strongly to the decision.

"I was ashamed of my reaction on the sidelines after the penalty was awarded. It was the result of frustration."

"The referee made a mistake and it didn't matter. What bothered me was that the players got five minutes of VAR and five minutes without it, and so on."

"Everyone who's ever played knows how much it affects the players, referees and assistant referees now. It's a different game."

"Maybe it's a penalty, I don't know, but it's not fair if players and officials aren't protected. I'm annoyed by the lack of efficiency in these things," Perez said after the game to DAZN.

The mediapro - the VAR management company in La Liga - confirmed after the match that the technology did not work in the first half.

"A technical problem, whose cause has yet to be ascertained, hindered the proper VAR function during the first half of the match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona," said a statement from Mediapro.

Although the entire technical operations team has worked hard, services were not able to be restored properly during the first half. However, VAR was restored and functioning normally during the second half.

Seeing the incident, coach Rayo Vallecano further suggested that the match should be stopped if VAR fails to function in the future.

"We need better protocols for a situation like this. My anger at the lack of protocol and lack of efficiency."

"This is not a good image for the league (La Liga). If the VAR doesn't work, we have to postpone the game until it works," said Perez.

Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano's attacker, Isi, claimed referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer told players he had made a mistake in giving a penalty to Barcelona.

"When they give a penalty that is not a penalty, it makes you angry. I could say a thousand things right now, but (the referee) is also human and he can also do something wrong."

"He said he admitted his mistake, so I just had to accept it. Without VAR, it was very difficult to be a referee."

"So I will hold back. As a person, he should be praised for admitting his mistake," said Isi to DAZN.

Fortunately, Rayo Vallecano came from behind to force the 1-1 draw against last season's La Liga champions.

Fran Perez made sure of one point for them through his first goal for the club in the second half.

On the other hand, Mediapro is working to clarify the cause of the incident.