Real Madrid have escalated their frustration with Spanish refereeing by filing a formal complaint with both the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and Spain's Sports Ministry (CSD) following their 1-0 defeat to Espanyol. The LaLiga champions, who saw their league lead cut to just one point, claim the match "represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system."
In a strongly-worded four-page open letter released Monday, the club specifically targeted referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz and VAR official Javier Iglesias Villanueva's decision-making, asserting that the incidents "exceeded any margin for human error or refereeing interpretation." The club highlighted two crucial moments: a controversial challenge on Kylian Mbappé by Carlos Romero, who later scored the winning goal, and a disallowed Vinícius Júnior goal due to a perceived Mbappé foul.
Madrid described Romero's challenge on Mbappé as "brutal" and took particular issue with the referee's match report, which stated the action occurred "while contesting the ball." The club argued this "distorted and falsified the reality of what happened, with the only imaginable purpose of justifying his arbitrary decision."
The European giants have demanded access to audio recordings of conversations between the on-field referee and VAR officials regarding both controversial incidents. This request aligns with their broader criticism of Spanish officiating, regularly highlighted through their in-house television channel, Real Madrid TV.
The complaint goes beyond specific match incidents, calling for comprehensive reform of Spain's refereeing system. "Superficial changes are not enough... The refereeing system must be completely renewed, from its structure to those within it," the letter stated.
This development comes after recent revelations that Madrid president Florentino Pérez had expressed interest in bringing English referees to improve Spanish officiating standards, as disclosed by newly elected RFEF president Rafael Louzan.
However, LaLiga president Javier Tebas has challenged Madrid's stance, pointing out an apparent contradiction in their position. "Many of us advocate a radical change in the refereeing system, moving closer to the English or German model," Tebas said in a social media post. "What is truly striking is that, at a LaLiga meeting on April 19, 2023, we debated and even voted on this change, and Real Madrid opposed it."
The RFEF and its Technical Committee of Referees have yet to respond to the complaint, leaving the Spanish football community awaiting their reaction to these serious allegations of systemic failures in match officiating.
