Referee Sparked Controversy In Bolivian League After Using Non-Existent VAR To Award Late Penalty

A referee has caused outrage in the top-flight of Bolivian football for awarding a late penalty using VAR -- despite the Bolivian Primera Division not using the tech.

Club Always Ready took on Bolivar on Saturday and were trailing 1-0 deep into injury time.

But footage has emerged of referee Raul Orosco talking with the fourth official and someone speaking to him in his earpiece before making a controversial decision.

The referee signalled for the use of VAR, only to quickly realise that the league doesn't use it and proceeded to point to the spot.

The match descended into chaos as the Bolivar players were visibly upset with the decision and riot police could be spotted trying to contain the situation on the pitch.

Club Always Ready player William Ferreira stepped up to take the penalty and his shot fired off the post, which allowed Bolivar to clinch a 1-0 victory after the controversial decision.

VAR was used in the Champions League last season and the Women's World Cup this summer.

But in South America only the top Brazilian league uses VAR.

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Featured Image Credit: Colin Millar

Topics: Football News, Football, Video Assistant Referee, VAR

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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