Real Sociedad demands protocol review after VAR failure in San Mamés

Real Sociedad demands protocol review after VAR system malfunction cost them a penalty decision in the Basque derby at San Mamés.

Real Sociedad has issued an official statement following the Technical Arbitration Committee's acknowledgment of a technical fault in the Connected Ball system during Sunday's derby against Athletic Bilbao. The system suffered a synchronisation delay of one to two frames between the ball signal and the VAR images, causing the information provided to not correspond temporally with what actually happened on the pitch.

The incident centred on a penalty awarded by referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández for contact between Jon Aramburu and Nico Williams. Real Sociedad argues the technical malfunction directly influenced the referee's interpretation and led to the error the CTA itself has now recognised.

The club is demanding answers on three key points: the verification procedure for audiovisual media in the VAR room during the review; how the Connected Ball system is calibrated and who is responsible; and what supervision mechanisms exist to detect synchronisation issues before the system's data influences a decision. Real Sociedad insists the incident shows the need to review and strengthen VAR protocols, calibration procedures and oversight of the Connected Ball system across professional football.