Former referee Mateu Lahoz has claimed that Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia has should been penalised for his push on team-mate Gerard Martin during Saturday’s win over Espanyol.
Garcia stole the show
at the RCDE Stadium, making a string of brilliant several and walked off with the MVP award after the game. He also raised a few eyebrows when he pushed Martin to block a shot from Pere Milla in the first half of the match.
Lahoz has analyzed the incident and explained why he thinks a free-kick should have been awarded against Garcia for his actions.
He said on Movistar: “This is stipulated by FIFA as unsportsmanlike conduct. We’re going to look at all the actions where, it’s true he wants to get away to block, but he can’t do this.
“The moment you voluntarily push a teammate and almost put him in danger of injury, it’s something the rules don’t allow. Although VAR can’t help you. It’s not in the scenario where it can help because it would be an indirect free kick and, in this case, a yellow card. The referee, I’m sure, interpreted it as an accidental collision while fighting for that space.”
Match referee García Verdura’s verdict on the incident can be heard on footage released by the RFEF, per Sport.
He is heard saying “there is nothing, there is nothing, it is him that pushes him, there is nothing” and then asks Martin “Gerard, how are we? Your goalkeeper pushes you. If your goalkeeper pushes you, it’s the other player’s fault.”
