Barcelona want referees to use technology after horrible no-goal call costs them a win
Barcelona did not have a good Sunday. Not only did they draw to Real Betis, which puts a dent in their campaign to catch Real Madrid on the La Liga table, but they were denied an obvious goal that could've earned them a win.
The controversy happened in the 79th minute, when the ball clearly crossed the line, as video and photo evidence shows, but referees waved it off and Barcelona were denied a legitimate goal. Barcelona also had a reasonable – though more debatable – gripe on the same play that Neymar earned a penalty, too.
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Betis defender Aissa Mandi made a desperate effort to keep the ball from crossing the line, but replays show the entire ball crossed the threshold and then some. Although Barcelona eventually did equalize in the final minute of play, had the no-goal counted, they would've had some 15 minutes to find a game-winner.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique declined to call out the match officials directly, but said it's obvious referees need the assistance of technology to do their jobs correctly.
"I do not have anything to say, but do not tell me what it looks like, I've seen the photo," Enrique said. "Technology can help, I've already said it. It's clear that the referees need help."
Neymar was a bit less diplomatic as he took to his Instagram Story to complain about both bad calls on the play. One photo showed him being dragged down, which wasn't called for a penalty, and the other showed the ball across the line with the caption, "HAHAHAHAHA."
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Although soccer has typically been slow to introduce technology into the sport, goal-line technology has gained widespread acceptance since it was permitted by FIFA in 2012. Nearly all of Europe's major leagues use goal-line technology, with La Liga being the glaring exception.
La Liga has looked at goal-line technology, but league president Javier Tebas said last year that it was too expensive to implement. UEFA, for instance, is paying around $66 million over five years to use the technology in European competitions.
Luis Suarez told reporters that "the ball was clearly a meter over the line" while Aleix Vidal, who delivered the cross on the no-goal play, said Spain needs to get with the times.
"You can see that the ball does go over the line," Vidal told reporters. "It's a really big mistake, but the fault doesn't lie with the referees. If goal-line technology was used, this wouldn't happen."
Betis coach Victor Sanchez did not comment on the no-goal call, but joined his opponents in calling for technology to aid refereeing decisions.
"I'm in favor of help, of course," he said. "Everything which can be incorporated to the game and can help, while not affecting the flow of matches, of course should [be introduced]. Everything is evolving and football has to be open to that as well."
Whether La Liga eventually ponies up the cash for the technology or not, for now, Barcelona are still left feeling hard-done by the wrong call on Sunday.
