After a match that ended in a draw vs. Girona, fans and Real Madrid's coach himself lamented the refereeing "errors" that denied the team a chance to get the victory at the Bernabeu.
At Real Madrid, they could not believe that the action between Vitor Reis and Kylian Mbappé in the final stretch of the match against Girona was not only not called a penalty by Alberola Rojas, but also not reviewed by VAR.
The hot reaction left little room for speculation. "It's a penalty here and on the moon," Alvaro Arbeloa said in the press room after Madrid's draw, which practically leaves the whites with no options for the title. "Once again, 'Negreiro' refereeing," they commented on Real Madrid TV.
"It's one more," the white coach added. "Another week. It is what it is. I don't understand it, and neither does anyone else. When does VAR get involved? It gets involved when it's convenient, and when it's not, it doesn't.
You know my opinion. The facts continue to support it. It's a very clear action. They called a foul on Kylian that was less than the penalty. We've had many with the referees. With this one, in Mallorca... the same old story."
The truth is that it's pouring rain on a wet field with the issue of Madrid and refereeing. The white club continues to try to lead a movement to completely renew the refereeing body, as they consider the recent changes, such as the arrival of Fran Soto in the direction of the CTA, to be more cosmetic than real.
Actions like Friday's with Mbappe add to the possibility of another penalty for a handball by a Mallorca player in the first minutes of the Son Moix match (which ended in a 2-1 loss), or decisions like the red card revoked for Barcelona in their league match against Atletico last weekend.
The locker room is the first to know they must give more in matches like those at Son Moix or this Friday, but they also consider that there are many occasions when refereeing decisions systematically go against them.
This feeling is prevalent at Valdebebas when it comes to Spanish competitions, as they do not share the same opinion of Champions League refereeing, where there may be errors, but they are not considered biased.
With the league practically lost, Madrid's players are already looking to Munich (in reality, they have been doing so since the end of the first leg), forcing themselves to believe in a victory that would be historic for the club, which has never come back from a European Cup knockout after losing the first leg at home.
The end of the match against Girona, very cold from both the players and the stands, did not activate that connection that many had hoped for ahead of the trip to Germany. Despite this, the locker room believes, or wants to believe, with the conviction that the refereeing ecosystem in Europe is very different from that of Spanish competitions.
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