Martín Anselmi fumes over VAR call: “avoidable procedure mistakes”

Martín Anselmi, head coach of Elche, criticised the refereeing controversy from last Sunday’s trip to Villarreal after a VAR decision led to an overturned penalty for a holding on Revivo. The Referees’ Technical Committee later acknowledged that VAR should not have intervened.

Anger, but focus on Vallecas

Ahead of this Saturday’s 14:00 game against Rayo Vallecano, the Argentine said the situation “generates discomfort” when “procedure mistakes” happen “in any setting”. He also pointed to a meeting with match officials, saying he left with a “positive impression” about their willingness to improve and act transparently.

He stressed the need for expertise in high-pressure environments: “For this kind of atmosphere you have to be highly qualified… procedure mistakes are completely avoidable.” He added that “no one will return the penalty” and that “we all made mistakes”, while insisting his main concern is the match, not external noise: “If we focus on that noise, I don’t consume it.”

Marc Aguado out

For the Vallecas clash, Anselmi will be without Marc Aguado. The player’s absence will last until after the next international break. Elche arrive after two goalless draws versus Celta and Villarreal, and the coach expects an “intense” opponent with the ability to punish quickly in transitions, according to MARCA.