The war between Real Madrid and the referees is now out in the open. The institution criticizes the entire refereeing system, from the Federation to the referees, following the non-expulsion of Romero for the tackle on Mbappé in Cornellà. This is not just a passing comment or a hot reaction, as 48 hours have passed. It is a letter signed by the Secretary of the Board, José Luis del Valle, a trusted jurist of Florentino Pérez, addressed to the Federation and the Government through the Higher Sports Council (CSD). In the letter, Muñiz Ruiz and Iglesias Villanueva, the referees in the Espanyol match, are accused of "distorting and falsifying reality," mentioning a "biased use of VAR" repeatedly against Madrid, labeling the system as "biased, clientelistic, and corrupt," demanding immediate structural changes.
The pressure on the Federation led by Rafael Louzán is intense, awaiting the Supreme Court's decision. Louzán has promised changes to Florentino at the Bernabéu, but his main supporter, Javier Tebas, is at odds with the Madrid president. The initial reactions from both reflected this: a response from the League, tepidness from the Federation. While the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) was already planning to sideline the referees from the Cornellà match, Madrid demands more. Above them is Medina Cantalejo, the referees' president inherited from the Rubiales era.
The upcoming days will be crucial, with the derby on the horizon, awaiting the referee's appointment, with Soto Grado as the favorite for the CTA. Urgent meetings have been called in Las Rozas due to the seriousness of the letter, while the referees, under less severe pressure, have previously mentioned strike actions. We will see what unfolds next.
For the white club, what happened in Cornellà "represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system, where decisions against Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and distortion of the competition that can no longer be ignored." They cite the "world press" regarding the Mbappé incident to support their arguments, stating that the action would have warranted an "exemplary punishment in any other competition."
The letter is not a diplomatic request to review the system. It is a full-fledged attack: "This scandal is not an isolated incident. The Spanish refereeing system is completely biased and designed to protect itself." Without explicitly mentioning the 'Negreira case,' it refers to "structural problems evident in recent years, with revelations showing practices incompatible with the transparency and impartiality that should govern the competition."
The President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, responded through his social media to Real Madrid's formal claim against the RFEF and CSD, stating that "we voted to change the system, and they (the white club) opposed it and did not provide solutions."
"I am not surprised at all by Real Madrid's letter, as it does not say anything different from what their television has been repeating for some time," Tebas remarked about the document.
"Many of us advocate for a radical change in the refereeing system, moving towards the English or German model, with a completely different organization and much more transparency in all structural decisions of Spanish refereeing," explained Tebas. "What is truly striking is that, in a LaLiga meeting on April 19, 2023, we debated and even voted on this change, and Real Madrid opposed it, showing lukewarmness and not proposing solutions."
"Could it have something to do with the fact that, at that time, Rubiales was the president of the RFEF and Florentino Pérez was a member of the RFEF Board? And mind you, the 'Negreira case' was already in court, and Real Madrid took weeks to intervene. Why? By the way, when it comes to 'corrupt systems,' few lessons can be given, and I am not referring to Real Madrid as an institution."
The Federation, on the other hand, also issued a statement, but much less confrontational, calling for "respect" for the referees and urging to resolve differences on refereeing through dialogue, convening the clubs for this purpose.
The Federation's Complicity
Madrid, who also complains about Vinicius' disallowed goal, claiming that Mbappé was fouled first and requesting the audio of all controversial actions, states that the system is designed to "operate without effective control and outside of any impartiality." They describe a system maintained and protected by the Federation itself through successive presidents, driven by a network of conflicting interests. They characterize the system as a "decisive political actor" in electoral processes.
They attach two court rulings in their letter that, in the club's opinion, "have shown how the images shown to the referees have been manipulated to induce erroneous decisions against Madrid." From this, they deduce that there is "a recurring way of acting, used as a mechanism to harm Madrid."
According to the club, the solution does not lie in isolated punishments, such as sidelining referees, but in a comprehensive reform that includes, as an essential element, replacing referees whose ties to suspicious periods compromise the system's legitimacy and perpetuate its lack of transparency. "The refereeing system must be completely overhauled, from its structure to those who are part of it, establishing effective control mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of the scenario that has led Spanish football to this situation of absolute discredit."