Instead of arguing about the exciting scenario of an El Clasico match, the confrontation between Real Madrid and Barcelona last night was "heated" because of the referee. The decision to disallow Barcelona's goal - in a situation where TV angles showed the ball appeared to cross the goal line - caused much controversy.
This wouldn't have happened if La Liga had the goal-line technology that the world's top leagues have been using for years.
Controversial situation in the match between Real Madrid - Barcelona last night
It is difficult to confirm whether the ball has completely crossed the goal line in this situation. Even with VAR involved, the referees could not find an angle to prove that the ball had completely entered the goal. Therefore, according to the procedure, the original decision was upheld as not recognizing the goal.
Barcelona protested furiously, claiming the ball had crossed the goal line. However, the only way for a referee to overturn a decision is not available in La Liga. Barring goal-line technology or similar 3D simulation systems, there is no other method that can pinpoint the exact location of the ball to within a millimetre.
The question is why doesn't La Liga - the world's top league - have goal-line technology to provide a more transparent answer?
The reason given is... money. Ahead of the 2023/24 season, La Liga President Javier Tebas said the system was too expensive and not economically viable to implement. The estimated cost of implementing and operating the goal-line technology system for all stadiums is around 6 million euros per year.
Because of this decision, Spain became the only league among the five major European leagues without goal-line technology. Many people thought this was crazy and too outdated for a top league in the world.
While other major European leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 have long used this technology, La Liga is incredibly "outdated". Not only in major leagues, this technology is also operated in the top league of the Netherlands, Eredivisie, as well as the Championship, the first division of England.
The incident in El Clasico last night was just the "last straw" for the shortcomings in management and refereeing in La Liga. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and coach Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) criticized the lack of goal-line technology as a "shameful thing".
"I can't put into words what happened on the goal line. It's a shame for football. I don't understand why there can't be money to implement the technology that other leagues have ," said the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Xavi agreed with his player's comments in the post-match press conference. The former Spain international said: "It's a shame that there was no goal-line technology. Everyone saw it. What else can I say? They will punish me. It feels unfair today."
La Liga is the only league in Europe's top 5 that does not have goal-line technology.
In the history of football, a similar situation has happened before. In the 2010 World Cup round of 16 match, midfielder Frank Lampard shot from a distance and hit the crossbar. The ball landed about half a meter behind the goal line, but the referee did not recognize the goal.
However, at that time, goal-line technology had not been introduced to the world. In the case of El Clasico last night, the La Liga referee made a similar mistake not because of a lack of technology, but because he refused to apply goal-line technology because it was... expensive.
This is not the first time that La Liga refereeing has been the subject of controversy. Just type in the name of any La Liga team and the keyword "referee complaints" and you'll find a plethora of results. Just in January, when Real Madrid came from behind to win 3-2 against Almeria, the referee's decision also left viewers with big questions.
Real Madrid were awarded Vinicius' equaliser despite slow-motion replays clearly showing the Brazilian striker handled the ball. The move sparked a heated debate after the match, as the rules of football state that a goal cannot be scored if an attacking player handles the ball, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
After last night's 3-2 victory, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona for the third time in just one season. This victory helped coach Ancelotti's team widen the gap to 11 points compared to Barca, and La Liga only has 6 more rounds to end.
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