Will the Clásico be Replayed? Laporta Points to European Precedent

FC Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, has announced on Monday that the club does not rule out seeking a replay of the recent Clásico match through ordinary legal channels. This decision comes in light of significant errors of omission made by the VAR room, which ultimately led to Real Madrid’s victory (3-2) and virtually decided the league title.

Laporta stated that they would request the Technical Committee of Referees and the Spanish Football Federation to provide the club’s legal team with all images and audio related to the incident involving the disallowed goal by Lamine Yamale in the 27th minute, with the score tied at 1-1. The president referenced a precedent from a European match where a replay was determined due to a VAR error. Specifically, he referred to a match in the Belgian League between Anderlecht and Genk on December 23, 2023, where a similar incident occurred.

In that game, VAR disallowed a goal by Genk’s Yira Sor, who converted a penalty missed by his teammate, Bryan Heynen, citing early entry into the box. Subsequent footage revealed that Anderlecht’s Yari Verschaeren entered before him, prompting calls for the goal to stand. However, the VAR inexplicably overlooked these images.

While Genk appealed to the Belgian League’s Disciplinary Board, it ruled in favor of replaying the match due to a human error in judgment. However, the decision was overturned by the Belgian Arbitration Court, considering the error as non-violative of the rules but rather a mistake akin to those made by players.

The case of Espanyol vs. Atlético from the previous season, involving a similar incident to the Clásico, is also pending in ordinary legal proceedings. In that match, a ghost goal awarded to Antoine Griezmann, upon VAR’s recommendation, contributed to Espanyol’s relegation. The club took their case to court after their appeal was dismissed, and two courts ruled in their favor, citing the VAR’s omission of crucial images.

The incident involving Lamine’s disallowed goal appears to be just one aspect of a biased refereeing performance that favored Real Madrid. Several contentious decisions were made throughout the game, indicating systemic issues. FC Barcelona’s decision to pursue legal action reflects their dissatisfaction with a season marred by refereeing errors in favor of their rivals. The outcome of Laporta’s announcement remains to be seen.