SAOT breaks down in Getafe-Malaga and forces offside lines to be drawn manually

The Getafe-Malaga clash at the Coliseum ended with a narrow win for Bordalas' side, but not before a moment of huge uncertainty. Late in the first half, with the score still level at 0-0, Dotor connected with a Salinas cross and sent the ball into David Soria's net. The Malaga goal opened a review that became one of the most tense episodes of the matchday.

• Dotor's goal was disallowed for offside just before halftime.
• The ball chip worked correctly, but the SAOT system failed when drawing the lines.
• The referee and VAR had to trace the offside lines manually.
• The Spanish refereeing committee released a statement to explain the incident.
• The CTA confirmed that the final decision was correct and the goal was rightly ruled out.

What went wrong during the review of Dotor's disallowed goal

The move started with a cross from Salinas on the wing. Dotor met the delivery and beat David Soria, which would have given Malaga a 1-0 lead just before the break. The usual check for a possible offside against the Madrid-born player began immediately. The first phase of the review worked normally: the ball chip responded without issues and allowed officials to identify the exact moment of contact.

The problem came in the second phase. When the match officials tried to use the SAOT technology to generate the offside lines automatically, the system did not respond. Faced with that malfunction, the referee and VAR had no choice but to draw the lines manually, a far slower procedure open to interpretation. The delay was felt immediately on the pitch and in the stands, where the wait seemed endless.

Final decision and the CTA statement on the SAOT failure

After a review that lasted longer than expected, Dotor's goal was disallowed for offside. The decision left nobody indifferent, especially because of how long it took to reach it. The play ended with the score unchanged and the Getafe-Malaga game went into halftime at 0-0.

The Technical Committee of Referees issued a statement titled 'Incident in Getafe-Malaga' to explain what had happened. The body admitted that the lines had to be traced manually due to a SAOT malfunction and that, for that very reason, the review time was extended beyond what was expected.

During Sunday's match between Getafe and Malaga, and after a goal by the Andalusian side was disallowed for offside late in the first half, the offside lines had to be drawn manually due to a malfunction in the SAOT system. As a result, the time taken to check the action was longer than expected. The checking and validation procedure was correct and the decision to confirm the cancellation of the goal scored by the visiting team was the right one.

Why Getafe's narrow win was not affected by the incident

Despite the technological failure, the flow of the game did not change. The disallowed goal would have put Malaga ahead at a delicate moment for a Getafe side looking to continue their good form at the Coliseum. In the end, Bordalas' team managed to win by the narrowest of margins and secure a hugely valuable home victory.

The action keeps the debate alive over the reliability of semi-automated offside. SAOT came to LaLiga as a key tool to cut waiting times and reduce errors in tight decisions. What happened at the Coliseum shows that when the system breaks down, manual procedures are still needed and can take referees back into a scenario of uncertainty.

The role of VAR and technology in Getafe-Malaga

The incident once again highlighted the collaboration between the on-field referee and the video review room. Communication between both was crucial to complete the check without errors. Although the technology failed, the validation protocol held up and the CTA insisted that the result of the review was correct.

This episode serves as a warning for future matches. SAOT was introduced to provide greater accuracy and speed than traditional VAR. If it breaks down at key moments, the competition must guarantee effective alternatives so that neither teams nor referees are left unprotected.

Frequently asked questions about the SAOT failure in Getafe-Malaga