The white club denounces a refereeing manipulation that ‘adulterates the competition’ and calls for a structural reform of the Spanish refereeing system after two controversial decisions in their last match

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Real Madrid blasts referee and demands VAR audios after Espanyol controversy

Real Madrid have issued a formal complaint to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) following the controversial refereeing in their recent clash against Espanyol. The white club denounces refereeing decisions that, in their opinion, exceed the margin of human error and evidence a manipulation that affects the integrity of the competition. 

In its statement, Real Madrid highlights two controversial actions:

1. Tackle on Kylian Mbappé: in the 60th minute, Espanyol player Carlos Romero made a tackle from behind on Mbappé which, according to Real Madrid, deserved a straight red card. However, referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz only showed a yellow card, and the VAR, under the supervision of Javier Iglesias Villanueva, did not intervene to correct the decision.
2. Goal disallowed for Vinicius Jr: In the 21st minute, a goal by Vinicius Jr was disallowed for an alleged prior foul by Mbappé. The club maintains that Mbappé was in fact fouled and should have been penalised as a penalty in Real Madrid's favour. 

Real Madrid have asked the RFEF to immediately hand over the VAR audios related to these two key plays in order to clarify the decisions made. In addition, the club criticises the Spanish refereeing system, describing it as ‘flawed’ and ‘corrupt’, and demands a structural reform that includes the replacement of referees linked to stages under suspicion. 

In response to this letter, Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has pointed out that Real Madrid previously opposed proposals to reform the refereeing system and questioned the consistency of their current stance. 

The controversy continues, and more episodes are expected in this confrontation.