Barcelona demands explanation after VAR's 'thank God' statement in El Clasico

Barcelona - Photo 1.

The ball hit Fermin Lopez's hand, causing his goal to be disallowed - Photo: REUTERS

The focus of post-match gossip was not only on the 7 eye-catching goals but also on the VAR referee team.

Dario Sport caused a stir when revealing a sensitive detail. From the VAR room, the referees exclaimed 'thank God' when reviewing Fermin Lopez's goal and discovered the Barcelona player's handball.

This sound is said to be clearly heard in the released recordings, and Barcelona have every reason to demand a satisfactory explanation for this incident.

More specifically, the situation happened in the 90+5 minute, the moment when Lopez thought he had sealed a 5-3 victory for his team, but was denied by referee Alejandro Hernandez after consulting VAR. He believed that the young midfielder had let the ball touch his hand in a dispute with Federico Valverde.

Although the final decision belongs to the referee, the phrase "thank God" is said to have leaked from the conversation of the VAR referees. This raises doubts about the objectivity and professionalism of the men in black.

Is this just an unintentional exclamation or does it contain some bias towards Real Madrid?

In an interview with AS , former referee Iturralde Gonzalez expressed his opinion that Lopez's handball was not so obvious that it should have taken away Barcelona's goal.

Previously, the Catalan team also felt dissatisfied when a clear handball situation by Aurelien Tchouameni in the penalty area did not lead to a penalty.

Controversy aside, an emotional 4-3 win over their arch-rivals has seen Barcelona take a big step towards the La Liga title. With the gap between the two giants now seven points with just three games remaining, the title looks to be within reach for Hansi Flick and his team.

As for Real Madrid, this defeat further shows the inferiority of "Los Blancos" to Barcelona this season. "The White Vultures" have lost all 4 matches and had to pick the ball out of the net 16 times in the El Clasico matches.