Sevilla president José María del Nido Carrasco launched a scathing attack on Real Madrid, accusing the club of attempting to undermine Spanish football through their persistent complaints about refereeing decisions.
The controversy stems from Real Madrid's formal complaint to the Spanish football federation regarding their 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Espanyol on February 1. The club demanded the release of audio recordings between the on-field referee and VAR officials concerning two critical incidents, particularly the decision not to dismiss defender Carlos Romero, who later scored the winning goal, for a foul on Kylian Mbappé.
In an unprecedented move, Madrid issued an open letter describing Spain's refereeing system as "totally discredited" and claimed that decisions against them constituted "manipulation and adulteration of the competition." This strong language was met with disapproval from other clubs during a meeting with LaLiga and the federation on Thursday.
Speaking to DAZN before Sevilla's 4-1 loss to Barcelona on Sunday, Del Nido Carrasco expressed his strong opposition to Madrid's stance. "It's intolerable and unacceptable. It brings into question the honour of referees and the competition," he stated. "The world of football should denounce, publicly and in the courts, a statement which goes against football's integrity."
The Sevilla president particularly criticized Real Madrid's use of their club TV channel to question refereeing decisions, including their coverage of Saturday's derby draw with Atlético Madrid. During that match, Atlético was awarded a penalty following a VAR review of Aurélien Tchouaméni's challenge on Samuel Lino.
"The worst of all is that Real Madrid are trying to destroy Spanish football, with Real Madrid TV, and in various other ways," Del Nido Carrasco continued. He emphasized the need to protect referees' independence, stating, "We won't tolerate that their honour is being questioned. [Madrid] want to put pressure on them, so that they don't make decisions freely."
The controversy unfolds amid an intensely competitive LaLiga season, with just two points separating the top three teams. Real Madrid currently leads the table, followed by Atlético Madrid in second and Barcelona in third following their recent victory over Sevilla.
