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LA LIGA

Lopetegui furious with pitch and officials after Sevilla lose ground

The overturned penalty in the 79th minute, with Sevilla chasing a late winner, was particularly contentious as Mir was brought down after apparent contact with Alejandro Catena

13 March 2022, Spain, Madrid: Rayo Vallecano's Bebe celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla FC at Estadio de Vallecas. Photo: Apo Caballero/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa.
Rayo Vallecano's Bebe celebrates scoring during the match between Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla FC at Estadio de Vallecas. Photo: Apo Caballero/dpa.

Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui angrily bemoaned the state of Rayo Vallecano’s pitch, questioning whether their game on Sunday should have gone ahead after his side dropped critical points.

The 1-1 draw in Vallecas keeps Sevilla second but could see them end the matchday 10 points behind league-leaders Real Madrid, who are still to play Real Mallorca on Monday.

Despite the potential title implications, Lopetegui was seemingly more concerned with the pitch quality and how that reflects on LaLiga.

"In a scenario like this, you should not play this game in the Spanish league. I say this for ourselves and Rayo, which is a team that proposes to actually play football," he said post-match.

"It is not good for the league or for the competition and it is also not good for the health of the footballers. The state of the grass is unfortunate."

His criticism did not stop there, however.

VAR

The 55-year-old coach saved some for the officials, with a goal and penalty for Rafa Mir taken away following separate video assistant referee (VAR) interventions.

The overturned penalty in the 79th minute, with Sevilla chasing a late winner, was particularly contentious as Mir was brought down after apparent contact with Alejandro Catena.

"I am confused by the criteria with VAR that it’s necessary to correct the black and white, but not the grey," he said.

Lopetegui furious with pitch and officials after Sevilla lose ground