Barcelona president hits out at Jude Bellingham after Real Madrid's controversial win over Almeria
- Real Madrid dramatically beat Almeria 3-2 on Sunday, with VAR hitting the headlines after three controversial decisions turned the game in Los Blancos' favour
- Laporta has lambasted Bellingham's gamesmanship in the win
- The Barca president insisted that VAR was "hijacked" during the game
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has criticised Jude Bellingham for perceived gamesmanship during Real Madrid's controversial 3-2 win over Almeria.
Madrid's victory has dominated the headlines in Spain since Sunday, with many questioning the use of VAR during the game. Three questionable decisions were made following VAR intervention in the second half which turned the tide of the game in Madrid's favour after they'd gone 2-0 down in the first half.
Two controversial VAR decisions led to two of Los Blancos' three goals - one via the penalty spot and one a handball goal scored by Vinicius Junior which was remarkably allowed to stand - and another ruled out what would've been Almeria's third goal of the game around the hour mark.
Speaking in an explosive interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barca president Laporta was particularly keen to call out Bellingham's supposed play-acting which saw Almeria's goal ruled out.
"Apart from the fact that both Madrid goals were preceded by a foul and the other by a great Zamorana (a Spanish term inspired by former goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora's famous clearances with his elbow), in the goal disallowed against Almeria I saw Bellingham grabbing the shirt of the opposing player," said Laporta.
"There is a detail that for those of us who have played football I think is illustrative: when Bellingham is on the ground he looks sideways at the referee, as if to say ‘let’s see if I’ve fooled him or not’. And then the play goes on and it’s a legal goal for me."
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Laporta didn't stop there in his evisceration of the refereeing display at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, exclaiming that VAR was "hijacked" by the "pressure" placed on referees to give Real Madrid favourable decisions.
"In a very clear way that match at the Bernabeu was re-refereed by VAR," explained Laporta. "I believe that the VAR, which is an instrument that comes to help referees, is becoming, due to the misuse of it, a problem. And I say that and I don't like to play the victim.
"The VAR is hijacked, as if mistreated based on pressure that our rival is exerting continuously and constantly, which is no longer punctual but has been taking place for a long time."
Laporta added: "What happened at the Bernabeu was a shame. I think that the refereeing team has to respond to a series of pressures that have occurred throughout the season with the referees. If they do not respond, they leave us very uneasy, because we understand that there is an abandonment of functions."
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