Goal, or no goal? Shortly before the half-hour mark, when the score was 1-1, Raphinha kicked a returning corner which was saved at the last minute on his line by Andriy Lunin. A very controversial action, since according to the Barcelona residents, the ball had completely crossed the line. So there should have been a goal. Various Spanish media reveal, thanks to geometric calculations, that the leather had not completely penetrated. A controversy which, in most other championships, would not have seen the light of day, since the action would have been scrutinized by the goal line technology.
Only, in La Liga, no GLT. Surprising, for a world-leading championship. Many fans were surprised to discover it last night, during what is perhaps the most prestigious club meeting in the world. And it is indeed a completely accepted choice on the part of La Liga, with Javier Tebas, its president, as the main detractor of this famous hawk eye.
Tebas, enemy of goal line technology
Yesterday, during the meeting, he even shared on his social networks several press clippings mentioning errors of this goal line technology in other European championships. At the start of the season, the boss of the Iberian championship made a fairly clear statement: “It’s not a question of money, but of use. Over a season, there may be 4 or 5 times when we need this technology. 99% of the time, we see if there is a goal or not. And there are errors with this technology. We have no plans to install it”. However, several players in Spanish football have already positioned themselves in favor of the installation of this GLT, like Rafa Benitez, then coach of Celta. “I was surprised, I couldn’t think that in La Liga there wasn’t this tool. It seems incredible to me that a championship of this level does not have it, any championship that is at least serious must have it”he said after a match with the Galician team at the start of the season, surprised to see that there was no GLT in Spain.
La Liga has always refused to buy the license from FIFA, which holds the patent. It must be said that its installation costs 4 million euros per season. An amount that should not be neglected, for a tool that is ultimately used very little. There is therefore also a purely financial choice, even if Tebas does not seem to want to admit it. Calculations which ultimately prove negative for La Liga, which perhaps saves a small check each year, but whose image took a hit last night, while all the other European championships are equipped with this technology. During the match between Reims and Montpellier yesterday, of a much lower standard, the referee was able to validate Modibo Sagnan’s goal thanks to the GLT. Suffice to say that it’s a task for La Liga…
