Report reveals what VAR told referee before Araujo penalty call during Barcelona vs Sevilla | OneFootball

After a rather good start to the 2025/26 season, FC Barcelona have come across a difficult stretch of games in the last week. First, they were defeated in the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, and then, in the ensuing match in La Liga, they also faced a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla last night.

As Hansi Flick himself accepted in his post-match presser, the Blaugrana team’s performance in the first half of this league match was quite below its expected standards. To make matters worse, the Andalusians were also awarded a penalty within the opening 15 minutes of the game, which the former Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez successfully converted.

Initially, the referee had not pointed to the spot for the penalty for the incident involving Ronald Araujo and Isaac Romero. However, the VAR incharge, Del Cerro Grande, asked the on-field referee, Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, to take a closer look at the incident.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, DAZN later also published the conversation that took place between these two officials, which went as follows:

Del Cerro Grande: “In our judgment, the defender stumbles, trips, putting his leg between the attacker’s two legs.”

Muñiz Ruiz: “Show me a longer angle, I want to see Araujo’s action.”

Muñiz Ruiz: “There’s no SPA option, no DOGSO option. There’s contact down below.”

Del Cerro Grande: “We’re going with a penalty, okay? Penalty without a card. He doesn’t touch the ball. Let me check that he doesn’t touch it, doesn’t poke it…”

VAR (team): “He never touches the ball, never plays the ball.”

Muñiz Ruiz: “The leg is in front, perfect. We’re going with a penalty.”

Ultimately, the referee awarded a penalty against Ronald Araujo, despite the protests of the Barcelona players, and this penalty ended up having a strong impact on the entire game.