"They couldn't fix the games like that anymore" - Former Barcelona star claims VAR was introduced to stop Real Madrid getting help from referees
Former Barcelona star Arturo Vidal has stated that VAR was introduced because referees favored Real Madrid. He believes that the Champions League three-peat was down to the officials helping Los Blancos twice.
Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League in 2016 and ended up retaining the title for another two seasons. Vidal believes that the hattrick of wins was because of the immense help they got from the referees.
Speaking to TNT Argentina, Vidal claimed that the VAR was introduced to stop the officials from favoring clubs. He said:
"Real Madrid were favoured by the referee twice in their 3-peat, when they beat Bayern Munich in 2017 and 2018. Everyone saw it. I think that's why they then introduced VAR, they couldn't fix the games like that anymore."
Vidal was at Bayern Munich when Real Madrid completed the historic 3-peat. He moved to Barcelona in 2018 and played for the Catalan side for two seasons.
Former Barcelona star Arturo Vidal wants to play with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami
Arturo Vidal has said he is ready to quit Athletico Paranaense and join Inter Miami this summer. He wants to play with Lionel Messi again and added that he just needs to pass the ball to the Argentine on the pitch.
Speaking to TNT Argentine, Vidal said:
"I would happily go and play with Messi. With him it's very easy, you just have to pass him the ball. In the United States there are several rules that prevent more older players from going, that's why it hasn't happened before
" I would be delighted to play with Leo, Busquets - they play by heart and now Inter Miami plays like that too, with a good coach [Tata Martino]."
The Athletico Paranaense star went on to claim that Messi should be playing in the FIFA World Cup 2026. He wants to see the Inter Miami star continue with the national team and said:
"I see Messi playing for a long time with the Argentine team. He enjoys it and is happy wearing the Argentine shirt."
Vidal played 81 matches with Messi at Barcelona before he left the club. He assisted the Argentine 8 times, while the Chilean scored twice thanks to an assist from the current Inter Miami star.