River penalty row: La Liga release full VAR audio recordings | OneFootball

River Plate began the 2026 Torneo Apertura with a narrow 1-0 away victory against Barracas Central, thanks to a goal from Gonzalo Montiel. However, the course of the match was marked by a controversial play that caused concern in the River community and sparked debate over the use of VAR.

At 16 minutes into the first half, after a play that included a shot from Tomás Galván and an intervention by the home goalkeeper, the ball fell to Fausto Vera. In his attempt to finish, Barracas Central defender Campi threw himself to the ground and the ball struck his hand. Referee Nicolás Ramírez decided not to award a penalty, despite protests from the River players.

The VAR’s Justification

The controversy intensified when it became known that Ramírez did not review the play on the monitor at the request of the VAR. The person in charge of the video assistant referee system, Héctor Paletta, informed the main referee that, although there was contact with the hand, the position of the arm and body made the action “not punishable”.

This Monday, the Professional Football League (LPF) decided to make public the audio and video of the communication between the field and the VAR booth through its YouTube channel.

The video, which includes a voice-over narration, defended the referee’s decision: “A River player shoots at goal and the ball hits the arm of a defender inside his own area, who had it in a position consistent with his movements and with his body behind, which constitutes a non-punishable handball.”

In the internal dialogue revealed, the assistant referee even initially suggests that the ball hit “the chest.” Ramírez hesitates (“Where does it hit?”), and from the VAR, Paletta confirms: “Nico, it hits his hand, but his body is behind and his arm is closing into his body.”

In this way, the LPF sought to clarify the decision that confirmed the final 1-0 in favor of the Núñez team.

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