Real Madrid face a tough match against in-form Real Betis this weekend, and their chances of victory have taken a blow in the last few hours after it was confirmed that Antony will be available for the hosts.
Earlier this week, Antony himself revealed that Betis had appealed the red card that he was shown during last Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Getafe. The on loan Manchester United was dismissed in the final minutes at the Coliseum for a lunge on Juan Iglesias, but after replays showed that there was very little contact, the Spanish Football Federation announced that it has been overturned.
This decision has been welcomed with delight at Betis, as they now have one of their best players available to face Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday. However, their opponents for that match are not happy, to say the least.
As reported by Diario AS, there is a feeling of “total indignation” at Real Madrid at the decision of the Federation to overturn Antony’s red card. Sources have told the newspaper as follows:
“In their eagerness to go hunting against Real Madrid, they are skipping even the legal arguments. Removing a red card that has been clearly assessed by the refereeing body and well explained in the minutes is as if the judges from now on are going to re-referee the matches. They don’t hold back, they have done it with the desire to hurt us. They have declared war on us and use all imaginable means, even if they expose the very referees they claim to defend so much.”
The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) are said to have been equalled surprised at the decision to overturn Antony’s red card, and the same can even be said for Betis, who reportedly did not hold out much hope for their appeal being successful.
