The disallowed goal at Gimnasia against Sarmiento: what referee Penel said and the VAR’s explanation

The Controversy in the Forest, by the goal disallowed in Gymnastics against Sarmiento at the request of LAUNCH, did not end with the final whistle from Ariel Penel. When the referee was leaving the stadium, he had an intersection with journalists and issued a warning: “Careful What You Say”.

The dialogue with the writers of ESPN and TyC Sports went without major problems on the way from the exit of the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium to the parking lot, where a black car was waiting for Penel.

“We made a mistake, we made a mistake, but we didn’t come to hurt anyone,” the judge said, according to the Télam news agency.

And he added: “We apologize to the president (Mariano Cowen) and (Sebastián) Romero, I know it’s not enough for them but nobody does it on purpose. I insist that nobody wants to hurt any team, let’s admit our mistake and we can’t come back.” .

“The result already exists and it can’t be changed. We received a communication from the VAR and since it was an offside play we can’t go and see it again,” he apologised.

This too was learned in the Forest Diego Abalthe head of the VAR, sent a message to the referee in which he said “Sorry, I made a mistake”, which the coach commented on in the post-match conference Sebastiano Romero.

At Abal’s behest, Penel disallowed a goal he conceded earlier. The referee was warned that there was an offside from Alan Lescano from the corner kick, making an obvious misinterpretation of the regulation.

Penel’s anger

When asked about the reactions of those affected, he said: “The players more than ten, the players and the coaching staff.” “No one comes to hurt anyone, let’s be clear”he underlined.

Then, a person not seen in the video that ESPN uploaded to its social networks made an inaudible comment to Penel.

The referee reacted by asking someone to come closer to see his interlocutor’s face and blurted out: “Be careful, be careful what you say. Watch what you say. Because I’m being respectful. I’m telling you seriously. Eye”.

The game of controversy and what the regulation says

The controversial move took place in the 42nd minute of the second half. After a cross from the right by Bautista Barros Schelotto, Ivo Mammini deflected the ball at the near post and Felipe Sánchez went close.

Nothing seemed able to deprive the Gymnastics of the cry, but after a long collusion between those responsible for the VAR, the referee Ariel Penel canceled the maneuver due to an alleged advanced position, apparently by Alan Lescano at the beginning of the maneuver. But the midfielder had received the ball from Antonio Napolitano after a corner kick.

In this sense the regulation is very clear. “There will be no offside offense if the player receives the ball directly from a corner kick”, stipulates rule 11, so the maneuver should have been validated. This was not the case and, therefore, the La Plata team was deprived of the victory.

“He (Penel) acknowledged his mistake, but that’s it now, let Costiria take it from you (sic). We just have to go home with a sense of anger at not being able to get the three points. We can’t more doing nothing than looking forward and thinking about the next match,” lamented Sebastián Romero at the press conference after the match.