Barcelona enters the final stretch of February as the club most penalized by officiating mistakes in La Liga history. Following a controversial 2–1 loss to Girona on Monday night (February 16, 2026), an independent report by Archivo VAR confirms that the Catalan giants have suffered 10 major VAR errors against them in just 24 matchdays.
The “Fridge” Treatment: Referee Suspended
The latest scandal involves Girona’s winning goal by Fran Beltrán.
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The Incident: Before the goal, Girona’s Claudio Echeverri clearly stepped on Jules Koundé’s ankle. Even Echeverri admitted post-match he “would have understood” if a foul was given.
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The Fallout: The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) admitted the goal was illegal. In an unprecedented move, they have placed VAR official David Gálvez Rascón “in the fridge” (suspended indefinitely) for failing to alert the on-field referee.
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The Precedent: Fans are furious because the same referee, Soto Grado, disallowed a similar Lewandowski goal earlier this season for a much lighter foul by Koundé.
The “Semi-Automatic” Offside Failure
While technology was supposed to end the debate, it has only made it weirder for Barça.
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3 of the 10 errors involve the new semi-automatic offside system failing specifically during Barcelona matches.
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This includes the infamous “skeleton” glitch during a Pau Cubarsí disallowed goal, where the AI couldn’t distinguish between players in a crowded box, forcing a 7-minute manual review.
La Liga’s League Table of Errors (Week 24)
Barcelona isn’t alone in their frustration, but the gap between them and the rest of the league is staggering.
Laporta’s “War” Declaration
President Joan Laporta has officially filed a five-point complaint with the RFEF, alleging a total lack of transparency.
“They don’t just want to beat us on the field; they want to defeat us off it. We are fighting against everything and everyone,” Laporta told reporters, centering his re-election campaign on the “theft” of the current season.