La Liga will add video replay in 2018 after Barcelona no-goal controversy
La Liga may not be adopting goal-line technology anytime soon due to its cost, but the Spanish league is set to add a different technology soon to help them decide on goals.
After a horrible no-goal call over the weekend cost Barcelona an obvious goal, La Liga president Javier Tebas said video replay and video assistant referees are expected to be put in place next season.
"We have always defended the use of technology in soccer and, in this case, we believe that video referees is the most advanced option," Tebas said. "The tests are already underway. I believe that beginning in July 2018, if FIFA approves it, we will start using it.”
Tebas’ comments come after Sunday’s match between Barcelona and Real Betis, where the ball clearly crossed the line and then some, but the referees denied Barcelona the goal. On the same play, Neymar was dragged down in the box and had a case for a penalty kick.
La Liga initially said it wouldn’t comment on the controversy, but Tebas later revealed plans to add video refereeing in 2018. Although Barcelona players called for goal-line technology after that match, Tebas and La Liga have already ruled it out, citing the high cost to operate it. Tebas said instances where goal-line technology is needed are very rare.
"This year there were three other similar cases and nobody said much about it," he said. "Maybe people are making such a big deal this time because the ball went in by a big margin.”
In a case as egregious as Sunday’s, video replay alone may have been able to help since video was enough to see the ball completely crossed the line. But under FIFA’s testing of video replay, only goals, red cards and penalty kicks would be reviewed. Other plays where controversy arises would not initiate a video review, but the solution would probably be for the referee err on the side of allowing goals or giving out more red cards to trigger a video review.
As long as tests go well, video replay could soon be the norm all over the world, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he hopes to have video replay at the 2018 World Cup.
None of that helps Barcelona now, whose draw on Sunday cost them a potential win as they sit four points behind leader Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.
