The Referees’ Technical Committee has acknowledged a mistake in the match, confirming that Girona FC’s decisive goal against FC Barcelona should have been disallowed.

The Referees’ Technical Committee has formally admitted that a major officiating error occurred during the match between Girona FC and FC Barcelona, stating that the goal which ultimately secured Girona’s victory should never have counted.

In its review, the committee explained that the controversy centered on a key moment in the buildup to the decisive strike. During that phase of play, Claudio Echeverri made clear contact with Jules Koundé by stepping on his foot.

Despite the incident being visible and significant, neither the match referee on the field nor the Video Assistant Referee team chose to halt the action or penalize the challenge at the time.

After conducting a detailed assessment, officials concluded that the situation met the criteria for what they described as an “obvious, clear, and manifest error.” According to their findings, play should have been stopped immediately, a foul should have been awarded to Barcelona, and disciplinary action in the form of a yellow card should have been issued before the goal sequence could continue. Because none of these steps were taken, the attacking move was allowed to proceed, leading directly to the decisive score.

The consequences of the mistake were significant. At that stage of the season, Barcelona were locked in a tight title race, and the loss of even a single point carried major implications. The outcome sparked widespread frustration among Barcelona players, coaching staff, and supporters, many of whom argued that the missed call had unfairly influenced the match result.

Although Barcelona have since recovered from that setback and managed to return to the top of the league standings, the incident remains one of the most debated refereeing moments of the campaign.

It continues to be cited as an example of how a single officiating decision — particularly one involving VAR intervention — can have far-reaching consequences in highly competitive title battles. The episode also reignited broader discussions about consistency, accountability, and the effectiveness of modern refereeing systems in ensuring fair outcomes in professional football.