The big controversy of Real Madrid-Mallorca was the disallowed goal by Arda Guler that would have made it 3-1. The VAR audio shared by the RFEF shows that referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez decided to disallow it because there was an "accidental" but "immediate" handball in the play.
Real Madrid had to come from behind to beat Mallorca. The victory was narrow, but the score could have been greater. Los Blancos had three goals ruled out, two of them with VAR intervention. One from Kylian Mbappe and another from Arda Guler. The latter was the centre of controversy after a busy Saturday for the refereeing.
Ten minutes into the second half, Franco Mastantuono made a great individual play inside the area, cutting in and shooting across goal with his right foot. Leo Roman managed to touch it with his foot, Martin Valjent cleared, and the ball hit Arda Guler's hand with force, heading towards the goal. The goalkeeper made another save, but this time, the Real Madrid midfielder picked up the rebound and sent it into the back of the net.
A few seasons ago, there would have been no doubt — any handball in the buildup to a goal was automatically penalized. But the criteria have since changed. Now, when it is not punishable - Arda Guler's is involuntary and with his arm close to his body in a gesture of hiding it - it must be immediate, in the same action as scoring the goal. And that is what was interpreted, according to the audio of the VAR analysis published by the RFEF this morning.
In the shared video, it is possible to hear how Juan Luis Pulido Santana, in charge of the video arbitration, calls Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, the main referee on the pitch. "I recommend a review for you to assess a possible handball to disallow the goal," says the Canary Islander, to which the Murcian agrees: "Great, I'll have a look."
On the way, Sanchez Martinez crosses paths with Xabi Alonso, with whom he talks to give explanations and ask for space. "We are going to review the handball to see if it is immediate, you know, Xabi? We are going to review the handball if in that same action it is immediate. Please, stay in your place. Please, respect the action."
From there, the review begins. "Jose, in my opinion, the handball exists and, in my opinion, in the play there is a certain immediacy for you to assess. I have two images where you can see the handball and also the immediacy," says Pulido Santana. "Give me the close-up handball at the point of contact. And now you zoom in, I want to assess the action in its immediacy," instructs Sanchez Martinez.
After seeing it, the Murcian referee doesn't think much and quickly decides: "The handball is accidental, immediate... I'm going to disallow the goal". Real Madrid's argument to protest is that the handball does not occur in the finish or the previous control, but in a previous shot that Leo Roman saves before Arda Guler shoots again to score. For Sanchez Martinez and the VAR, there is no doubt: it is part of the same action and not another.