César Soto Grado and his VAR assistants are still making headlines in Spain. Hours after the match between Valencia and Real Madrid, where Kylian Mbappé had a stunning goal ruled out, new footage of the controversial offside decision has resurfaced, sparking more debate.
The first La Liga match of 2025 has caused a major stir since Friday. Real Madrid faced Valencia at Mestalla for the 12th matchday, and the refereeing by César Soto Grado has drawn strong reactions.
While much attention has focused on the red card given to Vinicius Junior for responding to a provocation by Valencia’s goalkeeper—something that’s becoming a recurring issue—the controversy has increasingly centered on Kylian Mbappé.
The French forward scored a brilliant goal against Valencia, but it was disallowed for offside, triggering intense debate.
New footage challenges the initial decision
Hours after the media spotlight shifted to the incident involving Vinicius Junior, which could lead to a significant sanction, surprising new footage began circulating on social media regarding Mbappé’s disallowed goal.
This new footage calls into question the referee’s decision, reigniting the debate. Fans and football experts are closely analyzing the images, which appear to contradict the on-field ruling, further fueling controversy about the use of VAR and the refereeing errors in this crucial match.
Contrary to the line shown by the VAR officials, the new footage clearly shows that, at the moment Jude Bellingham passed the ball, Kylian Mbappé was covered by the foot of a Valencia defender. This position suggests he wasn’t offside when Bellingham played the ball. However, for reasons that remain unclear, VAR referee Muñiz Ruiz chose to rely on an image where Mbappé appeared to be offside, but this image was taken two seconds after the ball had been played.
Continued frustration and doubts
This decision has reignited criticism of VAR’s use and how certain images are chosen to justify a decision. The explanations behind this choice of image remain vague, fueling doubts about the integrity of the refereeing process in this match.
As the new footage clearly shows, this has turned into a scandal. Confidently, Mbappé produced a brilliant piece of skill to outmaneuver the Valencia goalkeeper and slot the ball into the net. While the disallowed goal didn’t impact the final result—since Real Madrid won 2-1 after a tense finish—the controversy continues to stir up debate.
Given that every goal counts in the race for individual accolades, Mbappé might understandably feel frustrated by these revelations of refereeing errors in Spain. This situation highlights the growing tension around the use of VAR and its impact on players’ performances and on crucial decisions that can influence their careers.
Also, considering that this goal came when Real Madrid was trailing, one could wonder if a different decision, validating Mbappé’s equalizer, could have changed the course of the match and prevented Vinicius Junior’s later outburst. Had Mbappé’s goal been allowed in the 62nd minute, it’s likely the equalizer would have altered the team’s mentality, and the match’s ending, marked by Vinicius’ red card in the 79th minute, might have been very different.
This situation once again raises questions about Spanish refereeing, which seems to require a complete overhaul. The impact of refereeing decisions on match dynamics and player behavior is undeniable, exposing the flaws of the current system.
