The audio of the VAR in the controversial play of the draw of Brazil against Colombia: the dialogue between Pitana and Vigliano

The audio of the VAR in the controversial goal of Brazil to Colombia

The referee Nestor Pitana saw himself involved in a controversy during the first goal of the Brazilian team, which ended beating Colombia 2-1 after going down on the scoreboard. The tying goal of the host team derived from a play in which the Argentine judge involuntarily participated, after the ball bounced off him in a pre-goal action.

Hours later, Conmebol published the sequence with the audio between Pitana and his compatriot Mauro Vigliano, located in the arbitration video booth. Pitana relied on a phrase of the regulation that speaks of “promising attack” to validate the offensive action of the Brazilians and not give space to the claims of the Colombian players.

The clock read 77 minutes when Neymar tried to launch a center to the area from the left wing that ran into the referee’s body. “He hit you, he hit you”, it could be heard that his compatriot told him over the communicator. “I continue, I continue, I continue “, responded to him when he saw that the ball had been in the possession of Lucas Paquetá, who opened the play again to the side from where the center of Renan Lodi came from, which led to the header by Roberto Firmino (1-1)

After seeing that the ball ended up inside the arc, Pitana automatically argued: “Because he still has it”, to his decision to give continuity to the offensive action. “Backwards, backwards,” Vigliano asked for the play to be pushed back while he reviewed the replay.

Brazil’s controversial 1-1 draw against Colombia with the intervention of referee Nestor Pitana in the play (Courtesy: DirecTv Sports).

“I can’t talk like that! I can’t, so I can’t speak ”, was heard from the field of play while the assistants tried to study the route that the ball would have made if Pitana had not been in the middle. “Chill chill”, advised his compatriot.

A few seconds later, the person in charge of the VAR addressed the referee directly: “Nestor, goal confirmed”. Quickly, he contradicted himself when he realized that he had not verified a possible offside: “Stop, give me a second. Don’t confirm yet ”.

Vigliano was studying whether there was an offside in the back center that ended in a goal. “Okay, it’s enabled. Let’s go ahead, just to rule out. Come on Nestor, goal confirmed”, He sentenced.

“The possession of the team continues”, is what the Argentine referee explained later to the Colombian footballers who began to approach to reproach him for the decision to validate the goal after checking it with the VAR. “That’s the rule, come on, that’s the way it is,” he warned the coffee keeper David Ospina, with a weak response to Firmino’s shot.

The play check extended for more than five minutes, to the point that the meeting later had ten minutes of addition. At the end, Brazil reached 2-1.

One of the VAR images
One of the VAR images

The referee allowed the play to continue on understanding that the rebound that was involuntarily did not lead to a promising attack, Since the ball does not go directly into the goal, it did not change possession or initiate a Brazilian attack. If any of these three actions had happened, the game would have to have been resumed with a dribble or dropped ball

Finally, the Verdeamarela ended up winning the match with a goal from Casemiro in the ninth minute of addition. The delay in the closing of the game corresponding to Group B of the Copa América was generated after this controversial action that meant the partial tie of Tite’s team.

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