LALIGA | MATCHDAY 24
LaLiga is reborn: The surprising turn of Spanish refereeing after Real Madrid's letter
Published:15/02/2025 - 21:24h
Updated:15/02/2025 - 21:45h
LaLiga refereeing has grown tired of Real Madrid's 'whining' after their controversial statement. Against Osasuna, the 'merengues' suffered a deserved penalty and a red card.
LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25 has made a 180-degree turn after the controversial letter from Real Madrid against the referees demanding a red card that was spared for Carlos Romero for a tackle on Kylian Mbappé in the defeat against Espanyol (1-0). Before the 'merengue' visit to Cornellà, the referees had been very careful not to make decisions detrimental to the 'White House', especially regarding penalties.
Until matchday 22, Madrid boasted an incredible record of 10 penalties in their favor and none against. Only two of their players had been sent off (Ferland Mendy, on matchday 1 against Mallorca and Vinicius against Valencia, in the rescheduled match of matchday 12), while three of their rivals had ended with one player less in the tournament.
However, in the last two matchdays, the refereeing balance has been devastating against Madrid: 2 penalties against, none in favor, and one player sent off. Against Atlético de Madrid (1-1), César Soto Grado sanctioned a stomp inside the area by Aurélien Tchouaméni on Antoine Griezmann. The same was done by José Luis Munuera Montero after a similar action by Eduardo Camavinga on Ante Budimir.
Madrid collapses in LaLiga without refereeing favors
In both cases, the referees sanctioned the penalty thanks to VAR intervention. Additionally, against Osasuna, Munuera Montero sent off Jude Bellingham in the first half for insulting him, in response to a foul in favor of the locals. Madrid claimed two non-existent penalties in the first half, one for an unintentional handball by Catena and another for a dive by Jude himself.
After the draw at El Sadar, Carlo Ancelotti, who was cautioned for asking for a penalty, continued to complain about the referees in the post-match press conference. "Things have happened in these last three matches that everyone has seen, and I don't want to add more because I want to be on the bench next match," commented the Italian coach. Well, Madrid has reached the time to compete with a much fairer refereeing in LaLiga and has collapsed with just 2 points in the last 3 matchdays. Coincidence? To a good listener...
