Barcelona president Joan Laporta has refused to rule out requesting a replay of their defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday night’s El Clasico after Lamine Yamal’s shot was adjudged not to have crossed the goal line.
Yamal thought he had given Barcelona a 2-1 lead in the first half, but his effort did not conclusively cross the line.
La Liga does not have goal-line technology and following a VAR check — broadcast pictures only showed two angles from which it was impossible to tell for sure — the score stayed at 1-1.
Barcelona took the lead in the second half through Fermin Lopez, before Lucas Vazquez scored a 73rd-minute goal to level the game at 2-2. Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time winner sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory for Real Madrid.
In a four-minute monologue to camera, Barcelona president Laporta has confirmed the club have requested the images and audio of the VAR officials for the incident be released before adding that the club had suffered from officiating this season, and would not rule out requesting a replay of the game.
Laporta said: “I want to convey the dissatisfaction that a day after one of the most important matches in the season, the misuse of VAR is setting our agenda.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin scrambled to clear Yamal’s effort (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
He added that he has never advocated for VAR because “it takes away from football’s spontaneity” but added “since we have it, it should always be used to avoid errors that could lead to unfair decisions”.
He continued that his side’s match against Real Madrid illustrated “poor VAR management” and that “contradictory criteria was applied depending on the teams involved” which “undervalues our league”.
El presidente @JoanLaportaFCB: “Hay herramientas como el VAR que deben ayudar a tener una competición más justa y no al revés” pic.twitter.com/qdmav3BP3e
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) April 22, 2024
Speaking of his side’s defeat to Real Madrid, Laporta said: “There were several debatable decisions but the one could have led to a change in the final result of the game: the so-called Lamine ghost goal.
“That is why I want to inform you that Barcelona will immediately request the images and audio of the incident from the technical committee of referees and the Spanish FA.
“If we analyse this and believe an error in the assessment has occurred, we will implement all appropriate actions to reverse the situation and will not rule out any necessary legal proceedings.”
Laporta added: “If it is confirmed that this was a legal goal, we do not rule out asking for a replay of the match.
“I want to add we disagree with various decisions during the match, that we believed was ignored by the officials in an incomprehensible way.”
Laporta concluded by saying Barcelona “lived in defencelessness” of refereeing decisions and have “suffered numerous times”, saying “decisions have harmed us and benefited our rival — showing the points gap that exists at the top of La Liga.”
(Marc Graupera Alomá / AFP7 via Getty Images)
