Madrid: Another Real Madrid fixture has culminated in intense refereeing controversy.
Sevilla voiced deep frustration over the referee’s decision not to issue a red card to Madrid midfielder Arda Guler during their 4-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on Sunday.
Prior to kickoff, it was Real Madrid supporters who were protesting alleged officiating biases against their side.
Real Madrid subsequently highlighted what the club termed the “Bernabeu’s outrage against” Spanish league chief Javier Tebas, who recently likened the club’s persistent attempts to challenge match officials to the propaganda strategies of Germany’s Nazi era.
Real Madrid has formally demanded the resignation of the La Liga president, who launched a scathing critique against the club on Friday in a lengthy social media statement condemning the way Madrid’s official television station alleges refereeing errors damage its title prospects. Spectators at the Bernabeu similarly chanted, demanding Tebas’ stepping down.
Tebas responded on social media on Sunday, criticising Madrid after supporters displayed a banner directed against him.
On the pitch, Sevilla protested sharply after Guler appeared to strike an opponent with his elbow in the face while attempting to break free. Guler scored a goal mere minutes after a rapid VAR review determined the incident did not merit a red card for the Madrid midfielder.
“Why didn’t the VAR call the referee?” Sevilla manager Luis García Plaza questioned. “Maybe because they don’t go into the clasico nine points behind.”
With the win, Madrid maintained a six-point gap behind their Catalan rivals ahead of next week’s El Clasico fixture against league leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid manager José Mourinho remarked that he failed to understand the heavy focus on Guler’s potential ejection.
“No one has managed to show me what they say happened. I haven’t seen a single image,” he declared. “If one day something happens that I believe benefited us, I’ll have no problem coming out and saying it, but I think the opposite is more likely to happen because it’s the natural trend of things. If by Saturday someone sends me a clear and objective image of something I haven’t seen, I’ll address it. For now, nothing.”