After the Real Sociedad vs Barcelona match at the Anoeta stadium, an offside-related incident sparked a strong reaction across the football community. Even though the game ended 2–1, the main talking point is not the scoreline but Lamine Yamal’s disallowed goal.
According to Archivo VAR, the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) may have made a serious mistake while reviewing the goal incident. The core of the complaints is the frame selected by VAR.
Where is the problem?
By the rules, the offside line must be drawn at the exact moment of the last touch on the ball. However, based on images and clips circulating on social media, during the VAR review:
- a late frame was used — it is claimed the moment was taken after Jules Kounde had already touched the ball;
- because of that delay, Yamal’s foot appears to be in an offside position;
- whereas at the instant of the last touch, Yamal’s foot was on the line, meaning he was onside, as is being argued.
As a result, more claims have emerged that a split-second frame choice flipped the whole episode and led to the goal being ruled out.
“This isn’t kindergarten, this is La Liga!”
Spanish experts and Barcelona fans are strongly criticizing the decision. In their view, technology was supposed to reduce human influence, yet the frame-selection mistake still comes down to a human decision and directly affects the match outcome.
Archivo VAR also described the situation sharply, noting reactions along the lines of: “SAOT messed up again at Anoeta.”
What happens next?
So far, neither La Liga officials nor the Referees Committee have issued an official statement on the incident. But the debate continues: fans and analysts alike are waiting for a transparent explanation and the technical protocol.
One thing is clear: if we truly want technology to serve fairness, even seemingly minor details like choosing the right frame carry huge responsibility. Because in football, sometimes one pixel is one goal—and one goal can decide an entire match.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
