Real Madrid’s dropped points against Real Betis have triggered a major backlash, with the club’s official channel openly questioning key refereeing decisions that influenced the outcome.

At the centre of the storm is a handball incident involving Ricardo Rodriguez, a moment Real Madrid believe should have resulted in a penalty. 

The failure to award it, combined with other contentious calls, has led to a strong and detailed reaction from Real Madrid TV.

What was said?

While analysing the specific handball incident and the referee’s decision-making, the channel pointed out what they saw as hesitation and inconsistency in applying the rules.

“Gonzalez Fuertes couldn’t have been more reluctant to blow his whistle for that handball. Madrid dominated the match. They deserved the victory. 

“Overall, they were somewhere between superior and far superior. The match slipped away from them just when they had it under control.”

Continuing their breakdown of the same moment, they pointed to the lack of VAR intervention and what they considered an obvious mistake.

“The penalty is crystal clear. There’s no way around it. Brahim tells him the handball is clear. You have to award a penalty. 

“They call offside when there isn’t one. Gonzalez Fuertes doesn’t alert Soto Grado.”

Expanding further on the sequence of play, the channel highlighted how the entire move should have been reviewed, especially given the tight offside call involving Jude Bellingham.

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“Another one for the refereeing chapter. It’s a penalty as clear as day. You can’t say they lost because of the refereeing, but there is a penalty for Ricardo Rodriguez’s handball. 

“When there’s a play like this, you have to review the whole sequence. Although in that shot it looks like Bellingham is offside, he isn’t. 

“No penalty is given and once again the hand is in the pocket.”

Questioning the standards

The criticism then moved from the single incident, as Real Madrid TV widened the scope to question the overall refereeing standards in La Liga this season.

“You can’t talk about football when this happens. Tebas’s league, Negreira’s league, which for 17 seasons has decided promotions and relegations. 

“The constant conflict of interest is untenable. The other day, Barça played a terrible match and were gifted a penalty. 

“If the score was 0-2, it’s irrelevant. During halftime, they questioned whether Brahim handled the ball when it was close to his body. Playing badly isn’t a sin, but refereeing in this deplorable way is.”

Finally, the channel directed its criticism towards the governance of Spanish football, raising concerns about the structure and decision-making at the top level.

“The president of LaLiga is the vice president of the Federation and is the one who calls the shots. Louzán carries out the orders of his boss, Tebas. 

“He’s the one who controls the television broadcasts. When you have a league like this and the evidence we see in the footage, I don’t believe in the competition.”

Source: AS