"FC Barcelona denounces the existence of disparate decisions regarding identical actions, especially concerning disciplinary sanctions". Just three days after the club issued that formal complaint, they were embroiled in a controversy of that exact nature at Montilivi. The very infraction the referee chose not to penalise for Girona's 2-1 goal was the same one he deemed punishable last season in Vallecas. To add insult to injury, the man in the middle on both occasions was the same.

With Jules Kounde featuring as the common denominator, the situation felt scripted. On matchday 3 of last season, Soto Grado disallowed a Robert Lewandowski goal, adjudging that the French full-back had stamped on Pep Chavarria in the build-up. VAR alerted the referee, who, after consulting the pitchside monitor, awarded a free-kick. "He just clips the tip of his foot," was the dialogue captured between the officials in the released audio.

At Montilivi, however, the roles were reversed; Jules Kounde was the victim rather than the perpetrator. Yet, Galvez Rascon, the VAR official, did not feel the need to intervene, despite goals preceded by similar stamps being routinely chalked off across the league this season.

El 2-1 del Girona al Barcelona, con polemica con Soto Grado y Kounde

Soto Grado's decision, which directly impacted the scoreline and altered the race for the league leadership, has left the Barcelona faithful incensed. Conversely, Flick and his Barcelona players adopted a more measured tone during their post-match media duties.

Once again, the lack of consistency in refereeing criteria has hijacked the footballing conversation. When such discrepancies involve a club of Barca's magnitude, the outcry is inevitably amplified.

Tuesday typically features the 'Tiempo de Revision' programme, where the CTA (Technical Committee of Referees) breaks down the most controversial incidents of the matchday, though Monday fixtures are occasionally excluded due to tight turnaround times. Regardless, the 'Cule' supporters are waiting with bated breath for the audio recordings of the incident, which are expected to be made public in the coming days.

Jules Koundé

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