Spanish player Iago Aspas lost his temper after the referee reversed his penalty decision during Celta Vigo's 1-1 draw with Sevilla in La Liga's 12th round on November 4th.
In the 90+7th minute, the referee initially ruled that Sevilla's Jesus Navas had fouled Celta Vigo's Anastasios Douvikas inside the penalty area. He awarded a penalty to the home team and gave Navas a yellow card. However, after consulting VAR, the referee reversed both decisions, leading to outrage from the players and fans of the home team.
Aspas used his hand to knock over the VAR machine, which was placed near the technical area. He had started the match and was substituted in the 69th minute. It is currently unclear whether the Spanish Football Federation will discipline the Celta Vigo captain.
"Yesterday, I made a mistake," Aspas wrote on social media. "I shouldn't have expressed my frustration in that way. That's not the kind of example I want to set for the younger Celta Vigo fans."
Aspas also argued that, in the first 12 rounds of La Liga this season, the balance has consistently tilted towards the opposite side. He asserted that if this issue is not resolved, La Liga will not be able to become the best league in the world .
Celta Vigo's coach, Rafa Benitez, also agreed: "I'm not saying there was foul play or not, but once again, we were surprised by the referee. I watched the replay and suddenly realized what all of Spain had seen."
In this match, Celta Vigo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Carl Starfelt, before Youssef En-Nesyri equalized for Sevilla in the 84th minute. Shortly after the controversial incident, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Aspas (in blue shirt) clashes with Sevilla's defense during the Celta Vigo - Sevilla match in round 12 of La Liga on November 4th, at Balaidos stadium. Photo: EFE
Celta Vigo are currently 18th in the table, with seven points after 12 rounds. Meanwhile, Sevilla are 15th with 11 points.
Aspas played for Celta Vigo from 2008 to 2013 and from 2015 to the present. In the 2013-2014 season, he moved to Liverpool and then to Sevilla on loan in the 2014-2015 season. He won his only club title, the Europa League in 2014-2015, with Sevilla.
Aspas has scored 218 goals in 593 club matches, including 196 goals in 469 games for Celta Vigo. For the Spanish national team, the 36-year-old striker has scored six goals in 20 matches and participated in the 2018 World Cup.
Thanh Quy (according to X )
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