2024-04-24 06:20:42
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has released a recording of the conversation between the referees during a controversial situation in Sunday’s El Clásico, and the referees found no evidence that Lamin Yamal’s shot should have been awarded as a goal.
The Catalans feel a great injustice and the president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, demanded the publication of the communication.
It follows from the video that the men found no evidence in any of the footage that Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin stopped the ball beyond the goal line.
The battle of the giants probably finally decided the championship. The leader Real, after a big turnaround in the end, beat second-placed Barcelona 3:2, and with six rounds to go, they are already eleven points ahead of them at the top of the league table.
However, the Catalans are convinced that the match could have turned out differently if the referees had judged the questionable moment from the 28th minute differently, when the youngster Yamal extended the ball with his foot after a corner at 1:1 and Lunin intervened at the last moment.
Snapshots of the stopped TV footage appeared on social media, showing the ball crossing the goal line. That is why the key moment began to be talked about as a goal that the world had not seen. Laporta even threatened that if there was an error in checking the situation, the club would take all available steps to reverse the situation, including legal ones, and demand a replay.
In La Liga, the referees do not have watches on their wrists that would alert them, thanks to modern technology, that the ball has crossed the goal line. Head referee César Soto Grado had to rely on the video man.
“We want to be transparent. That’s why, just like after the Spanish Cup final, we’re detailing the conversations that took place in the refereeing team during the match,” the football federation said on its account on the X network.
The audio recording confirmed that the staff in the video referee’s room did not have footage that would clearly prove that the ball had crossed the line. “We are looking for evidence, but this camera shot is not usable. Neither is the second one, nor the third one,” they informed the referee on the field.
“You don’t have to rush, it’s an important decision. Take your time, look at all the footage,” urged Soto Grado. “César, we will continue with a corner kick. We have no evidence that the ball crossed the goal line. A corner kick follows,” read the final verdict.
Although Barcelona took the lead for the second time during the game in the second half, the “White Ballet” still had enough to decide the key battle in their favor.