Carlos Soler sent off against Barcelona for dangerous tackle on Pedri — VAR audio reveals details | OneFootball

FC Barcelona played out a 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad in La Liga at the Reale Arena, a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons for years to come. The Catalan club dominated for long stretches, yet still ended up on the wrong side of the result.

More prominently, it was a game filled with refereeing and VAR controversy: offside calls, wrongly ruled-out goals, red cards, rescinded penalties, and just about everything else possible on a football pitch.

One of the most telling moments was Carlos Soler’s sending off for a horrendous foul on Pedri, one that the Canary Islander was very lucky to escape without serious ankle damage. It was the kind of tackle that should be an immediate red on the pitch.

However, the notorious referee on the night, Gil Manzano, needed VAR to advise him to make the right decision, in keeping with his performance. The RFEF has now revealed the VAR audio from the incident, as quoted by SPORT.

It was VAR who alerted Gil Manzano to the nature of the foul. It went:

“Jesús, it’s Carlos. I recommend a review for potential serious foul play. Look, I’ll show you the contact point and especially the torsion caused by the contact on the Barcelona player, okay?”

Manzano headed over to see the foul for himself on the screen, and this was his reaction. He said:

“Uf… Okay, perfect. It endangers the opponent’s physical integrity, okay? Even if it’s low, the ankle torsion could injure him. I’m going with a red card for serious foul play.”

VAR then asked him another question, to which he did not even respond.

“Do you need to see it in intensity? No?”

Manzano then returned to the field and brandished the red card, sending off Carlos Soler. In all fairness, everyone except the 41-year-old referee knew even before the replays that it was a red-card challenge.

From a Barcelona perspective, it is a huge positive that Pedri came out of it unscathed. It was irresponsible for Soler to go in as he did, and it also reflected Sociedad’s win-by-any-means mentality on the night. Ultimately, it is what it is.