In recent weeks, Spanish football giants Real Madrid have criticized the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over several controversial refereeing decisions.
Real Madrid’s frustration has grown against La Ligas Referees and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Controversial officiating decisions in crucial matches have impacted Real Madrid’s hopes in this year’s title race. Real Madrid has not held back and has become increasingly vocal on criticizing La Ligas Referees. These recent controversial calls against Real Madrid have led many La Liga clubs to equalize on points with Real Madrid. Consequently, in one the most important matches of the season, Real Madrid were paired up against Atletico Madrid. Before the match commenced, controversy sparked earlier with Atletico de Madrid tweeting their support for the RFEF.
Atletico de Madrid tweeted “Use your official television once again to press referees.” The tweet aimed to discredit Real Madrid’s television channel, shifting the blame onto Real Madrid for allegedly pressuring referees to side with them. Controversial calls sparked even more outrage from both sides when Julián Álvarez disallowed penalty and handball during the match. As the match continued to be tied, it led to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Álvarez stepped up for his penalty as he prepared to make his run; he unintentionally slipped and hit the ball twice. In accordance with the IFAB’s Laws of the Game, Law 14 states a player cannot touch the ball twice during a penalty kick before another player has made contact. This meant that Álvarez’s goal was immediately disallowed after a VAR review. The disallowed goal helped Real Madrid in their pursuit to win the game. Many Atletico Madrid workers and fans claimed Julián Álvarez did not touch the ball twice. This sparked outrage and controversy as clips from different perspectives came in. Some clips showed Álvarez touching the ball twice while other clips didn’t. Many fans flooded social media claiming the match was “rigged in anger.” Atletico supporters mocked their rivals with edited clips and memes.Social Media began to be flooded with the hashtags #VARMadrid and #LaLigaRigged.
Some Real Madrid fans expressed outrage as they’ve seen the recent “pattern of manipulation.” Real Madrid fans argued that they could’ve won the match when Atlético’s Giuliano Simeone touched the ball with his hand in the box. Real Madrid supporters argued that this resulted in unfair officiating decisions as if this was called up as a foul, it would have led to a penalty.
Real Madrid filed an official complaint to both La Liga and the RFEF. Some insiders have claimed Real Madrid Board is reevaluating their future participation in LaLiga if the alleged bias continues unchecked. With the title race heating up and growing tensions between Spain’s biggest clubs and RFEF, divisions within LaLiga and its clubs continue to grow. As many wait to see if the RFEF responds, one thing is certain: Spanish football is in the middle of a crisis, and the world is watching.
