Real Madrid News
Thibaut Courtois wanted to play in front of ‘hostile’ fans for Chelsea vs Real Madrid
The world expected Real Madrid vs Chelsea to be a tightly contested Champions League quarterfinal. Yet, that was far from the case at Stamford Bridge.
Despite playing the first leg in London, Los Blancos pulled off a ruthless performance and demolished their opponents with a scoreline of 3-1.
According to reports from Daily Mail, there were some decisions taken ahead of kickoff that might influenced the result on the night.
The English media outlet reported that Thibaut Courtois told Karim Benzema to switch ends on Stamford Bridge after winning the toss just before kickoff.
As a result, the goalkeeper played in front of Chelsea’s most hostile fans during the first half and enjoyed a relatively comfortable second period.
Courtois is a player who knows Chelsea and Stamford Bridge inside out after rendering his services at the club for seven years. Despite playing for Chelsea for only four years, the Belgian made close to 126 appearances for the London based side.
The goalkeeper pushed for a move to Real Madrid following the 2017/18 season, and his decision was not well received by the fans. As a result, Courtois was subjected to insults and was called a ‘snake’ for leaving the club on bad terms.
Nevertheless, the Belgian has been far more successful since his move to Real Madrid. His suggestion to play against the hostile fans in the first half reaped benefits on the night as Karim Benzema went on to score a stunning hat-trick.
With the second leg scheduled later this week, Courtois will look to maintain a clean sheet and steer his side into the semifinals of the UCL.
Jose Felix Diaz has reported via MARCA that Real Madrid want a major change in the Spanish refereeing system.
The reporter writes that the team from the Spanish capital has taken the issue as their top priority mostly because of what happened in the recent derby defeat against Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos are determined to relentlessly steer a significant overhaul of the refereeing structure, and they have no intention of resting in their pursuit.
Their discontent comes not only from recent events, particularly the contentious derby match but also from a deep-seated frustration with the state of refereeing itself.
Real Madrid not hiding their discontent
The journalist mentions that Real Madrid are unapologetic about their continuous criticism of the refereeing community, firmly believing that a transformation is of utmost importance.
Even prior to the emergence of the Negreira case, the Merengues had been vocal about their dissatisfaction with those responsible for overseeing the refereeing unit.
For what it is worth, the revelation of the former vice president of the CTA’s financial ties to Barcelona only solidified Real Madrid’s resolve to advocate for a complete overhaul in referee management.
Real Madrid are suspicious
Real Madrid firmly assert that any influence from Negreira’s historical decisions in certain key positions raises suspicions about the fairness of the competition.
For that, the management will do everything in its power to achieve a certain level of transparency within the organization that it believes is currently overshadowed by historical baggage.
As of today, Real Madrid continue to voice their concerns through their official channels.
Right now their ultimate goal is to eliminate the involvement of Clos Gomez in VAR decisions, marking the beginning of a long-standing battle they are fighting.
