After Real Betis’s Giovani Lo Celso scored a great goal on the volley at La Cartuja on Saturday, FC Barcelona players immediately protested. Within seconds, Lamine Yamal and Pedri approached the ref, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. But one player’s defense of the goal as heard on the ref-cam has gone viral.
“It’s a clear handball, it hits him here” Pedri said, pointing to his arm, in the footage captured by the ref’s body-camera.
The ref replied, “In my view, the movement isn’t a punishable one, okay?”
“What do you mean it isn’t? He clearly controls it with his hand!” Pedri insisted.
In the build-up, the ball had struck Cucho Hernández’s hand before eventually finding its way to Lo Celso outside the box.
“We’re going to check it,” the ref said, before speaking with VAR.
“Yes, it is a handball. Cucho makes a deliberate movement to bring the ball under control with his hand,” Pedri insisted.
“For me, he has it in a natural position,” the ref said.
Fermín López, Karim Adeyemi, and Rodri joined the protest, with the latter saying, “It’s very clear.”
Betis’s Héctor Bellerín, who once played for Barcelona, went over to the ref as Pedri continued to insist the goal should be chalked off. “Just for the sake of the goal he scored, it should be allowed to stand. For the sake of football,” Bellerín said.
The goal was ultimately ruled out by VAR.
Barcelona went on to win 5-2.
