In a heated buildup to Saturday's Madrid derby, Atlético Madrid has taken a swipe at their city rivals Real Madrid through social media, mocking their recent complaints about officiating in Spanish football.
The controversy ignited when Real Madrid, who have frequently used their official TV channel to voice concerns about refereeing decisions, escalated their grievances by sending a four-page open letter to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday. The letter, which followed their 1-0 defeat at Espanyol, demanded "a total renewal of the refereeing system."
Atlético's response came in the form of a clever social media post on X, featuring an image resembling an Ikea assembly manual titled "basic instructions for the derby." The post pointedly referenced Real Madrid's use of their official TV channel to pressure referees.
Taking their criticism further, Atlético posted another message addressing the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), sarcastically requesting clarification on the meanings of various verbs: "press, scare, intimidate, coerce, frighten, influence, impose."
Luis Medina Cantalejo, president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), defended the integrity of match officials in an interview with El Chiringuito. "Referees are honorable," he stated. "My colleagues and I are not corrupt. We might be really clumsy, or really bad, but corrupt? No... Despite all the letters, statements, no referee goes to a stadium with the idea of hurting anybody."
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also weighed in on the controversy when asked about Madrid's complaint. "This is their choice. They've done it like this and it's not our way. I said no excuses," he remarked, emphasizing the challenging nature of the referees' job and the importance of supporting them.
The tension adds another layer of intrigue to Saturday's derby at the Bernabéu, where Real Madrid currently holds a one-point lead over Atlético at the top of LaLiga.
