Lamal’s ‘ghost goal’ haunts Clasico
BARCELONA president Joan Laporta said yesterday that the club will demand an El Clasico replay if they can prove officials made a mistake by not allowing Lamine Yamal’s “ghost goal”.
The champions fell to a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday in a match which featured multiple controversial incidents, leaving their arch-rivals 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.
The most debated was 16-year-old winger Yamal’s first-half flick from a corner which may have crossed the line before Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin pushed it away.
Without goalline technology in Spain, officials used VAR to try confirm if the ball had crossed the line but could not be certain it had and so play continued with the score level at 1-1.
Laporta demanded the Spanish football federation and the refereeing committee send Barcelona all footage of the incident and audio recordings of the officials’ conversations.
“If, once the documentation has been analysed, the club understands that there was an error in the assessment of the play, as we think there was, we will take all the necessary steps to reverse the situation, without ruling out any legal action that may be necessary,” said Laporta in a video released by Barcelona.
“If it is confirmed that it was a legal goal, as we believe it was, we will go further and ask for a replay of the match, as has happened in another European match due to a VAR error.”
Laporta was referring to a match between Anderlecht and Genk in January in the Belgian top flight that was replayed after a misapplication of the laws of the game.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez also blasted La Liga for not employing goalline technology, after the match. The coach was furious after Yamal’s attempt was disallowed. “It’s a disgrace,” said Xavi, complaining that the technology used in other top flights including the Premier League is not available in La Liga.
“If we want to be the best league in the world we have to advance, you have to put in the technology.”
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen agreed with his coach.
“It’s shameful for football, I don’t have the words,” said the Germany international. “There’s so much money in this world and there’s no money for what’s most important.”
Jude Bellingham’s late winner secured the victory for the Whites, which left them on the cusp of reclaiming the championship.
“(Madrid) have had an extraordinary league (season), they have lost just one game, they’ve almost wrapped it up,” admitted Xavi.
“I feel that with the game we played, the normal thing would be that we would win.
“We played well, I think we deserved the three points.”
Xavi’s counterpart Carlo Ancelotti said he was delighted with his side after beating Manchester City on Wednesday on penalties to reach the Champions League semi-finals and then produce a Clasico winner. |