Madrid’s derby, a fixture that usually leaves its arguments echoing long after the final whistle, has prompted another fierce intervention from Real Madrid TV. The club’s official channel turned its post-match attention towards the officials, arguing that key calls had shaped the contest and questioning what it sees as an uneven standard applied to Real Madrid.
Its central contention was that Atlético Madrid might have been reduced to nine men. “We do not know how the match would have unfolded had Atlético been left with nine players,” the channel said, maintaining that it was difficult to judge the derby purely on footballing grounds after the decisions made by the refereeing team.
Refereeing arguments after the derby
Real Madrid TV named Ortiz Arias in its criticism and returned to a complaint it has made repeatedly this season: that incidents involving Madrid are judged differently. The broadcast also recalled an episode from recent weeks as part of its case regarding the treatment it believes the white-clad side, described in the discussion as the team coached by José Mourinho, has received.
One moment singled out involved Kang-in Lee and Fede Valverde. The channel objected not only to Lee’s challenge on the Uruguayan midfielder but also to the referee’s response when Valverde rose to protest. It described the official’s manner towards the player as arrogant and intimidating.
A wider complaint about Spanish football
The discussion moved beyond the derby and towards LaLiga itself. Real Madrid TV suggested that many supporters could feel like walking away from the competition, repeating the thought that the situation might make Madrid fans want to leave it behind.
Javier Tebas, LaLiga’s president, was also targeted as the channel delivered its broadest criticism of the domestic game’s administration. It said the state of the season had gone beyond acceptable limits and used especially severe language to portray its frustration.
In its most inflammatory image, the broadcast said that only a circular allowing Madrid’s opponents to take the field carrying revolvers was missing. The wording underlined how far the channel’s usual objections to Spanish refereeing had escalated in the wake of the capital derby.
