Real Madrid were furious after their defeat to Espanyol on Saturday night, as they saw three points slip away through a late Carlos Romero winner. Los Blancos put all of the focus on the officiating after the game though, blaming the fact that Romero was not sent off for a reckless challenge.
After the match, Carlo Ancelotti noted that it was ‘inexplicable that Romero was not sent off‘, while the club’s official media report also headlined with the call not to dismiss the Espanyol wide man. As Kylian Mbappe was breaking away, Romero lunged in with his studs showing at thigh height, and was extremely fortunate to avoid intervention.
Los Blancos have now released a video from Real Madrid TV, calling the incident a global scandal and referencing reports from media around the world as justification.
💬 ”Un escándalo mundial”📺 Realmadrid TV pic.twitter.com/TZE1AO3Pui
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 2, 2025
They also say that ‘La Liga is stained by Negreira’, referencing the ongoing corruption case involving Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former Vice-President of the Referees Committee (CTA), and payments made to him by Barcelona. This of course comes just days after it was revealed publicly by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan that his Real Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez had been exerting pressure on him to reform the CTA, and potentially even bring in English referees.
Barcelona are currently under investigation for Sporting Corruption, although that charge has yet to be proven. The RFEF are unlikely to pay too much attention to Real Madrid’s line on the matter, given the last two seasons have seen a consistent agenda of criticising referees regardless of how the decisions have turned out during a game. However the Madridista ire is understandable in the case of Romero’s challenge, with similar challenges certainly warranting dismissals in the past in La Liga.
