Real Madrid might be accused of mixed messaging after their fans booed a banner in support of Spanish referees.
Los Blancos beat Girona 2-0 at the Bernabeu, and pre-match the two squads posed in front of a banner from the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] which read ‘Respect the referee. Respect the football’.
RM4Bellingham’s ban has played its part in the anger[/caption]
The home supporters booed the gesture, a rather odd one that comes just 20 days after their club sent an open letter to the RFEF and Spain’s High Council for Sports accusing the refereeing system of being ‘rigged’, and ‘completely discredited’.
In a four-page statement on the club’s official website, Real Madrid wrote that ‘Decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignored’.
So it’s perhaps a little strange to see such a gesture less than three weeks later.
That controversial club statement came after Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost 1-0 to Espanyol in a match where Kylian Mbappe was denied what looked like a straight-forward penalty.
The intervening weeks have seen more officiating drama, with England megastar Jude Bellingham being sent off against Osasuna after swearing at the referee.
Bellingham faced a ban of four to 12 games after official Jose Luis Munuera Montero claimed in his match report that the player said ‘f*** you’ to him.
However, Madrid successfully argued that he said ‘f*** off’ and that the term isn’t as offensive as its Spanish equivalent, reducing the ban to just two games.
That meant that Bellingham was in the stands for the clash against Girona with his partner and family, and got to watch a stunning long-range half-volley from club legend Luka Modric to open the scoring.
Vinicius Jr then sealed the deal in the 83rd minute, but chants of ‘Corruption in the Federation’ reportedly bellowed out throughout the game.
The win did Madrid a world of good considering that they went from a seven-point lead over Barcelona to level on points in a matter of weeks.
Their rivalry with the Catalan side has also provided a backdrop for refereeing debates, with an ongoing investigation into Barcelona around alleged historic payments to former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas referenced that when Madrid refused to attend a meeting between clubs, the RFEF and the Technical Committee of Referees on February 6.
“They have lost their heads,” Tebas said. “[Madrid president] Florentino Perez is against everything and wants to harm the competition.
“They have constructed a narrative of victimhood, the icing on the cake being the statement they issued the other day. They have been following a narrative of victimhood that is not true.
“He always wants to be right, the ideal situation for Florentino Perez would be for us all to get on our knees.”
Tebas also commented on the club’s letter after the Espanyol incident, saying: “We are going to see if a complaint is filed against the club, against the person who signed the letter, against the board of directors.
“We are analysing it at a legal level, because, obviously, this type of note cannot be allowed, because there are falsehoods in the note itself, or half-truths that, what they want, is to influence issues that cannot be.
“They have no choice but to end up doing this. They have lost their minds.”
Madrid’s 2-0 victory has them second in the table, level on 54 points with Barca, but behind on goal difference by just a single goal.
Atletico Madrid are a point further back in third, having matched their title rivals with a 3-0 win away at Valencia on Saturday.