The conversation between the officiating referee and the VAR during Barcelona’s clash with Real Madrid has been released.
Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Barcelona was overshadowed by a goal disallowed by the referee.
Lamine Yamal tactfully heeled the ball towards the goal from a corner kick and it went beyond the goal line but was parried away by Andriy Lunin almost simultaneously, creating doubt over its validity.
After a lengthy conversation between the on-field referee and VAR, the goal was canceled for lack of evidence that the ball crossed the line.
With fans still sharing their thoughts on why the goal was not awarded by the VAR, the Spanish Football Federation has released the audio of the same, which is over six minutes in duration.
Here is the conversation between on-field referee Cesar Soto Grado and the VAR during the controversial moment on the night, as revealed by 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, it is a very important decision, we are not in a hurry, all the cameras.”
VAR: “They don’t have more. We confirm that there are no more cameras, right?”
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.”
