Barcelona president Joan Laporta said his side will request a replay of Sunday’s Clásico against Real Madrid if an error can be proven on Lamine Yamal’s “ghost goal” in the first half.
Madrid defeated its rival 3-2 in the match at Santiago Bernabéu, as a last-gasp Jude Bellingham goal sealed a win that put the club 11 points clear atop the La Liga table.
An incident in the first half proved controversial, as Yamal’s flick was blocked off the line by Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Though the ball looked like it may have crossed the line, a VAR review determined there was no goal and La Liga does not use goal-line technology.
Laporta released a statement on Monday requesting a full investigation into the game-changing moment.
“There were several debatable incidents in the match, but amongst all of them there is one that is crucial and can change the result of the game,” Laporta said.
“I am referring to the ‘ghost goal’ by Lamine Yamal. As a club, we want to be sure about what happened. It is for that reason we will make an immediate request for a comprehensive collection of footage and audio from the incident.
“If once this documentation has been analyzed, the club understands that an error was made in the revision of the incident, we will take all available measures to reverse the situation, without discounting, obviously, any necessary legal action.
“If it is confirmed that it was a legal goal, we will move ahead and request that the game be replayed, just as has happened in another game in Europe due to a VAR error.”
According to Mundo Deportivo, the other game in Europe that Laporta referenced was a match in Belgium between Anderlecht and Genk in December.
After a review by the league’s disciplinary committee, the game will be played again on May 11 due to a determination that the VAR “applied the rules incorrectly” on a penalty incident.
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