Messi's missed goal forces La Liga to use VAR

Spain's number one playground is the only tournament in Europe's top five leagues that does not use video referee technology (VAR).

"The goal was seen by the whole world," said La Liga president Javier Tebas. "If I say it wasn't a goal, I'm blind. It was a goal but there's nothing we can do to change the result of the game. Hopefully VAR will solve all similar problems next season. We are working on it and we will apply VAR from next season."

Barca lost a valid goal

President Tebas' announcement came after the Spanish public in particular and the football world in general were in an uproar over the situation where Lionel Messi was denied a completely valid goal by the referee.

In the Valencia - Barca match,Messi's powerful shot from a pass from the right wing bounced off goalkeeper Neto and rolled about a third of a meter over the line. After Neto leaned over to clear the ball, neither the referee nor the assistant referee recognized Barca's goal.

This would not have happened if La Liga had adopted the video assistant referee (VAR) technology as in the Premier League. The main reason for the delay in adopting the new technology is that La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation have not yet agreed on the final system.

However, Messi's missed goal was the last straw that forced La Liga to change. As President Tebas announced, VAR will be applied by the tournament's organizers from the 2018 - 2019 season.

Messi and Suarez demanded a goal but the linesman shook his head. Photo: AFP.

Messi's disallowed goal almost cost Barca. While some of the away team's players were busy celebrating and arguing with the assistant referee, Valencia counter-attacked and quickly threatened goalkeeper Ter Stegen's goal. The move ended with Zaza's left-footed shot narrowly missing the target.

Barca struggled to get a point in this match when Valencia took the lead and equalized late in the match thanks to Jordi Alba. The four-point gap between Barca and Valencia remained unchanged, but the two Madrid teams narrowed the gap with Messi and his teammates to eight points./.

According to VNE