The Spanish Football Federation have published the audio of the conversation between referee Cesar Soto and VAR during the 3-2 El Classico victory for Real Madrid against Barcelona, given an insight into why the goal scored by Yamal Lamine was disallowed.
Barcelona felt unfairly treated during the encounter after what should have been a goal by Yamal Lamine was wrongly disallowed.
Why Was The goal Of Yamal Lamine Against Real Madrid Disallowed?
Clips following the game showed that the ball had crossed the line, but it was difficult for the referee and the video assistant referee to draw a conclusive decision on the incident due to the lack of substantive evidence.
Barcelona supporters have since after the game bemoaned the decision by VAR to not award the goal, with the video assistant referee toeing the line of referee Soto, who had initially given a corner to the Blaugrana side.
Audio Of The Conversation Between Referee Cesar Soto And VAR
Anyway, the Spanish Football Federation has shared the audio of the conversation between the stakeholders involved in the decision and their reason for disallowing the goal.
Here is the conversation during the controversial moment on El Classico night, as shared by Spanish media outlet MARCA.
Soto Grado: “For me, it doesn’t fit [cross the line] at all.”
VAR: “Let’s check César, wait a little there, don’t let it go.”
Soto Grado: “We put up with it. No, there is no goal technology. We are waiting. We are waiting for the VAR. Maybe it was a goal. We are reviewing. No, there is no goal technology.”
VAR: “Sergio stops at the point of contact when he hits Lunin in the gloves and hits him back. Wait a second because we’re doing a 360 because we don’t have it.”
Soto Grado: “We are waiting. We don’t know.”
VAR: “He’s stopped, he’s covering Lunin’s body, okay? Wait a second. We are still looking for the evidence. 360. This one doesn’t work for me, that one neither, that one neither, this neither, next one, this neither, this neither.”
Soto Grado: “We are not in a hurry. The best thing is to wait. We have to wait.”
VAR: “César, we are going to resume with a corner kick, we have no evidence that the ball has crossed, so it resumes with a corner kick. We don’t have any evidence that the ball has entered. Corner kick.”
Several footballing enthusiasts, who weren’t aware that La Liga didn’t have goal-line technology in place, were stunned by the incident.
Joan Laporta calling for El Classico to be replayed
Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporta who demanded for the audio and video footage of the action to be released is also calling for the La Liga clash to be replayed.
He indicates that if the Catalan giants can prove that officials in charge of the affair made a mistake then they will request for the showdown to be replayed.
Laporta speaking in a video published by Barcelona said: “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.
“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.”
Joan Laporta was pointing towards a clash between Belgian top-flight sides Anderlecht and Genk in January 2024 which was replayed after the laws of the game were wrongly applied.
After the disallowed goal of Yamal Lamine against Real Madrid, Barcelona also had other contentious issues
Moreover, Barcelona also had two penalty appeals snubbed during the El Classico loss for what they felt were fouls on Yamal and Fermin Lopez.
Andreas Christensen had put Xavi Hernandez’s side ahead in the 6th minute before Vinicius Jr equalized from the spot 12 minutes later.
Fermin Lopez then poked Barcelona in front in the second period, before Real Madrid responded through Lucas Vazquez and Jude Bellingham in the 73rd and 90+1 minute.
What The Win Meant To Barcelona And Real Madrid
The victory saw Los Blancos, who have amassed 81 points this campaign, move 11 points clear of second-placed Barcelona, who have picked up 70 points thus far this season.
Xavi Hernandez’s side can still mathematically win the La Liga title this campaign, with 6 more matches left to play this season, meaning 18 points is still up for grabs.
However, Real Madrid can be tagged as runaway league leaders at this point, and barring anything catastrophic should ultimately win the 2023/24 La Liga title.
