Real Madrid has officially lodged a complaint regarding refereeing errors to both the Spanish Football Federation and the nation’s foremost sports authority, following a perceived injustice during a recent La Liga match. The complaint stems from a 1-0 defeat against Espanyol, a result that allowed Atletico Madrid to close the gap to just one point behind them in the league standings, setting up a critical clash at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday.
The complaint was approved by the board of directors of Real Madrid and sent out in response to what they believed was a significant drop in officiating quality during the match held at RCDE Stadium on Saturday. The focal point of their grievance was a rough challenge on Kylian Mbappé by Espanyol’s Carlos Romero, which occurred in the 60th minute. While Romero received a yellow card for the tackle, Madrid argued that the offense warranted a straight red card instead.
Despite the option of a review through VAR, the officiating team opted for the yellow card, which Madrid described as a “brutal” foul. In an ironic twist, Romero later netted the decisive goal for Espanyol in the 85th minute, sealing the match and enflaming Madrid’s frustrations. In their extensive four-page letter, Madrid characterized the handling of the game by VAR and on-field officials as “scandalous,” further demanding access to audio recordings of discussions surrounding the disputed plays.
Additionally, Madrid took issue with the referee’s decision to annul what they called an “absolutely legal” goal from Vinícius Júnior in the 21st minute, where a foul by Mbappé during the build-up was supposedly flagged by VAR officials. The club claimed that the repercussions of these mistakes resonated worldwide, with international media outlets highlighting the shortcomings of Spain’s VAR usage and refereeing standards.
Madrid asserted that the events of Saturday were not merely an isolated incident, but rather indicators of a refereeing framework that suffers from significant credibility issues and structural deficiencies that have been evident over several years. It’s worth noting that most elite clubs in Spain regularly express dissatisfaction with officiating standards, despite formal grievances like Madrid’s being somewhat rare.
In response to the situation, the president of the Spanish league, Javier Tebas, commented that discussions regarding reforming the refereeing structure for enhanced transparency have taken place, yet noted that Madrid was among the clubs that had opposed any such changes and had failed to offer alternative solutions.
