CCTV, witnesses can't prove VAR was switched off on purpose in Porto-Braga | OneFootball

The FC Porto-Sp. Braga match (2-1), corresponding to the 10th round of Liga Betclic, recorded a disruption in the VAR system towards the end of halftime, which delayed the start of the second half by 45 seconds. The Disciplinary Council of the FPF opened an inquiry into the incident, which was later closed.

With the publication of the inquiry's ruling, it is clear that the Commission of Instructors analyzed surveillance footage and heard five witnesses, without being able to obtain sufficient evidence of any possible intentional deactivation of the VAR. “In fact: it was not possible to identify, through CCTV images, any clear positive act of disconnection; and the most plausible explanation, in light of what was established, points to an accidental disconnection, the specific author of which could not be determined and which, by itself, does not allow for the conclusion that any agent or entity violated regulatory duties. (…) Taking into account the sufficiency of the steps taken (which make further measures unnecessary), it is believed that there is not enough data, elements, or circumstances which, when considered together and even through logical-rational reasoning, would seriously and reasonably allow for the possibility of establishing a violation of regulatory norms or the commission of any disciplinary infraction within the scope of the facts under investigation in this inquiry,” reads the conclusion of the process.

In examining the footage, the Commission of Instructors did not find any action linking the disconnection of the VAR system’s plug from the power outlet located on a small wall next to the central stand at Estádio do Dragão, though they did note the presence of a person who was later identified during the proceedings.

First to be heard was Rui Rodrigues, VAR support technician for FC Porto, whose responsibility is “to ensure the electrical power supply for the system, as well as to provide support if requested by Altice and/or Media Pro technicians.” The interviewee stated that he only became aware of the power failure the day after the match: “I learned, after the day of the game, through the Field Director of FC Porto SAD, that the system, in the area corresponding to the review area, was not working for a short period, close to the start of the second half of the game, but the system was quickly restored. I was told that there is no suspicion of any malicious action, with the most likely cause of the interruption being that someone tripped over a wire, accidentally unplugging it.”

José António Monteiro, a technician from Media Pro, stated that he was “absolutely certain that the plug was connected to the outlet at the start of halftime, having a perfect memory of checking the connection before leaving the location” and added that “as far as he could tell, the UPS [uninterruptible power supply] supported the operation of the equipment in the review area for about 10 minutes.”

For his part, Carlos Carvalho, security director of FC Porto, said he did not recognize the person identified in one of the surveillance images, whose identity was initially unknown, but suggested it might be the technician responsible for the CO2 jets activated when the teams enter the field. This was followed by the testimony of Marco Paiva, field director of FC Porto, who “stated that all CCTV footage was examined without detecting any fact that could have caused such an interruption” and “explained that the wire reaches the outlet through a technical duct, which runs between the review area and the aforementioned wall,” adding that “since the wire runs through this duct, it is impossible for someone to have tripped over it, thus unplugging it.” Marco Paiva then identified the person in question as Tiago Bernardo, an employee of CJR – Pirotecnia e Explosivos, S.A., who provided services to FC Porto related to the CO2 jets.

Tiago Bernardo confirmed that, as part of his duties, he needs to “use several electric cables/wires that are connected to outlets located about 25 meters from the place shown in the aforementioned image,” because “only there are there three-phase, 32 Amp outlets, which are suitable for the equipment in question, and which are not to be confused with the outlets closer to the review area.” “He added that he took care not to mix the aforementioned cables/electric wires with those connected to any other equipment, and that he covered them with artificial grass mats to eliminate the risk of someone tripping over them. When asked, he stated that there is a technical duct running between the review area and the barrier wall of the stand, which he presumes is intended for the cable supplying electricity to the equipment in the review area, for which there is a dedicated outlet next to the gate visible in the image, on the aforementioned wall. When asked, he stated that, in theory, it is not impossible that his handling of any equipment may have caused the disconnection of this plug/cable from its outlet, but given the care he took and what he observed on site, this is extremely unlikely,” the document reads.

In light of the facts and testimonies, the investigator recommended “the closing of the case, concluding that, despite the relevance of the facts under investigation – temporary interruption of the VAR system, causing a 45-second delay in the resumption of the second half of the match in question –, no indicative elements were collected that would allow attributing this occurrence to any disciplinary misconduct.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.