Real Sociedad condemn ‘non-existent’ penalty and VAR’s failure to intervene

“The penalty is non-existent and VAR did not want to intervene”: Real issued an official protest after Real Sociedad lost 2-1 to Athletic Club in the Basque derby. The club focused on the incident involving Jon Mikel Aramburu and Nico Williams, and referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández. In its match report on the club website, Real described the decision as decisive.

The penalty was awarded against Aramburu for a challenge on Nico Williams. Real says its defender touched the ball before contact and criticised VAR for not asking the referee to review the incident. “In a difficult-to-understand action, the referee awarded a non-existent penalty by Aramburu on Nico. VAR did not correct him either,” the club wrote, adding that the ball’s chip registered Aramburu’s touch.

The score was 1-1 when the decision came, close to half-time. Berenguer then converted the penalty to put Athletic ahead, making it 2-1. Real left Bilbao with a defeat and a strong sense of injustice, publicly shared by Jon Mikel Aramburu, Luka Sucic and Pellegrino Matarazzo.

Real Sociedad’s coach also challenged the decision after the match. He said it had changed the course of the game, pointing out that technology showed, in his view, that Aramburu had touched the ball. He also criticised VAR for not stepping in and said he had not spoken to the referee after the final whistle.

Alejandro Hernández Hernández defended his call. He said the contact appeared punishable from his position and that, on the pitch, the penalty had seemed clear to him. He added that the video officials had upheld the decision: in his view, the VOR room had not identified a clear and obvious error that warranted intervention.

The protest did not erase Matarazzo’s concerns about his team’s performance. The coach acknowledged that Real had not started as intended, had conceded too many chances and had not dealt well with the opposition’s attacks. Real Sociedad are fifth in Liga with 19 points after 11 matches. Their record is six wins, one draw and four defeats, with 20 goals scored and 20 conceded. In their last five league matches, they have four wins and one loss.

After the derby, the club put two points on record: its anger at a refereeing decision it considers unjust, and the need to learn from a match in which, according to its coach, the team also allowed the opposition too many chances.