A controversial VAR decision has stirred debate following El Clasico, where audio captured an official seemingly saying “thank goodness” during a review that led to a Barcelona goal being disallowed.
In a thrilling LaLiga match on Sunday night, Barcelona defeated rivals Real Madrid 4-3, but the game was overshadowed by the late VAR controversy.
The win extended Barcelona`s lead at the top of the LaLiga table. However, Barcelona were denied a potential fifth goal in stoppage time when a strike from Fermin Lopez was disallowed due to a handball during the preceding play.
The VAR official, Juan Martínez Munuera, advised the on-field referee, Alejandro Hernández Hernández, to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
According to audio released by the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation), Munuera told the referee: “Listen to me, Alex, we’ve just detected a handball, okay? Please come take a look.”
Controversially, an unidentified voice in the VAR room was reportedly heard saying: “Given the height – thank goodness. Yes, yes, totally.”
Hernandez responded after reviewing the footage: “Okay, perfect. Let’s continue. It hits his hand, yes. The ball’s going out. Now give me a wide angle so I can see the entire action and how it ends. Okay, perfect. The hand is clearly raised. I’m going to disallow the goal.”
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that this `thank goodness` comment was notably absent from the official transcription or subtitles provided by the RFEF in the publicly released video, adding to the controversy.
This incident occurred in a match already marked by other refereeing controversies, leaving Barcelona feeling aggrieved by several decisions.
Among other disputed moments, controversy arose over whether Kylian Mbappe was marginally offside before Real Madrid were awarded an early penalty. Furthermore, Barcelona players felt aggrieved that Aurelien Tchouameni was not penalised for handball in the penalty area just moments before Lopez`s disallowed goal.
Despite the controversies, the 4-3 victory allowed Barcelona to solidify their position in the LaLiga title race.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick for Los Blancos (Real Madrid), who had initially taken a 2-0 lead within the first 14 minutes. However, Hansi Flick`s team staged a strong comeback, scoring four goals before halftime via Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha.
Barcelona could potentially secure the top spot as early as Wednesday night, depending on Real Madrid`s result against Real Mallorca. If Madrid win, Barcelona would then have a chance to clinch the LaLiga title the following day in their Catalan derby match against Espanyol.
