Porto received permission to disable VAR on Arouca’s reception

The Disciplinary Board (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) cleared FC Porto this Wednesday of responsibility for the malfunctions of the video refereeing system (VAR) observed during the reception of Arroca (1-1) from the I League.

A statement from the professional department of the disciplinary body stressed that during the briefing, “no evidence was presented” that the Blue and Whites caused a “blackout” and that “no faults were found” in the technological assistance system. main judge.

VAR support technician Adriano Costa was also acquitted of failing to perform other duties, but was suspended for 23 days and fined €230 for failing to attend procedures “of which he was regularly notified.”

Controversial move

On 5 September, the FPF CD initiated an investigation into the 14-minute VAR blackout observed during Porto’s match against Arroca in the fourth round of the championship, held two days earlier at Arroca Stadium. Dragao Stadium in Porto.

According to the Federal Arbitration Council (CA), it was a question of a power failure of the video referee between 87 and 90+11 minutes, with the corresponding backup support having been exhausted, a version supported by Altice but denied by FC Porto SAD.

The Dragons lodged a protest against the match with the Federal Council of Justice (FCJ) with a view to repeating it due to the actions of referee Miguel Nogueira during the cancellation of a penalty awarded for a foul on Mehdi Taremi.

Having received a warning from the video referee (VAR) team to check the images of the game, which took place in the 90+6th minute, when the Arucens won 1-0, the “referee”, faced with alleged technical difficulties, contacted Rui Oliveira. telephoned the VAR of that match and called the coaches of both teams to communicate his final decision.

“These actions by Miguel Nogueira constitute a violation of the rules of the game and a legal error that could seriously affect the outcome of the game,” FC Porto said at the time.

On October 24, the FPF Referee considered this protest of the “dragons” to be unfounded and ordered “not to cancel the game and not to repeat it”, excluding that there was an “arbitration error” of the main “referee”, who “did not violate either the principles of VAR or the rules of the game.”

After this episode, Porto had another penalty, which the Portuguese-Brazilian Galeno missed in 90+15 minutes, and the Brazilian Evanilson restored equality at 90+19 after Spaniard Cristo Gonzalez advanced Arouca in 84.