Ex-Barcelona star claims VAR was invented so Real Madrid 'wouldn't rob us anymore'

During an appearance on the Enfocados podcast, via Mundo Deportivo, the 38-year-old was asked about his history against the 15-time European champions. Vidal did not hold back, revisiting old wounds from his time in Germany and Spain, saying: "Yes, I've felt robbed by Real Madrid. In two games with Bayern Munich in the Champions League, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, when they eliminated us."

The veteran Chilean midfielder, who is currently playing for Colo-Colo in his homeland, took his criticism a step further by questioning the integrity of the game before technology was introduced. He suggested that the sport was marred by unfair advantages until governing bodies were forced to act. Vidal explicitly linked the technological advancement to his personal experiences against the capital club, making a claim that is sure to cause a stir in Madrid.

Continuing his rant on the podcast, the ex-Juventus man claimed that the system only exists because of the team from the Santiago Bernabeu. "VAR was introduced because of Real Madrid. Before that, there were simply too many cheats," he claimed. "That's why they invented VAR, so they wouldn't rob anymore."

The roots of this bitter rivalry can be traced back to the 2016-17 Champions League campaign, where Bayern were eliminated in a match marred with controversy. During a high-stakes quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Vidal was dismissed in the 84th minute after receiving a second yellow card despite appearing to win the ball cleanly in a challenge with Marco Asensio. The decision proved fatal for Bayern, who eventually fell to a 4-2 (6-3 on aggregate) defeat after extra time, with Cristiano Ronaldo profiting from several controversial calls that night.

The midfielder's quotes from that night were just as explosive then as they are now. Reflecting on the officiating of Viktor Kassai, Vidal previously said: "When Madrid got scared, the referee began his show. This robbery can’t happen in the Champions League. We felt it a lot and you start to wonder a bit. We wanted to go through and there’s a lot of anger in that a match of such intensity is decided by the referee. He made a lot of mistakes and knocked us out of the Champions League. When [referees] embarrass you like that, it’s really hard to take. It makes you very angry."

Vidal’s comments come at a particularly sensitive time for Real Madrid, who are currently dealing with fresh allegations of receiving preferential treatment from officials. Following a shock 1-0 defeat to Getafe on Monday, the spotlight turned on Antonio Rudiger after a reckless challenge that went unpunished. Getafe defender Diego Rico was left incensed by the lack of VAR intervention, suggesting that the German should face a lengthy ban for what he described as a deliberate act of aggression on the field.

Rico led the charge by claiming that the Real Madrid defender should have been sent off, stating: "If it were the other way around, I would have gotten the same 10-game suspension or wouldn't have played at all this season. I don't know what VAR is for. I think it's for these situations.

"It was an assault; you can see he was going to hit me on purpose. In the previous play, we had a scuffle that resulted in a foul, and on his way back to the defence, he was saying things. Right on the next play, the ball came to me, and you can see him even push his teammate aside to smash my face in. If he'd caught me in a bad position, he could have left me lying on the grass."