"New refereeing scandal" - Real Madrid TV call out referee after 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid TV slammed referee Soto Grado and VAR after their 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, February 8. The two city rivals faced off at the Santiago Bernabeu in a LaLiga top-of-the-table clash.

In the 32nd minute, Samuel Dias Lino went down in Los Blancos' penalty area holding his foot after contact from Aurelien Tchouameni. VAR urged Soto Grado to review the incident on the screen after which the referee gave a penalty to Atletico. Julian Alvarez (35') converted the spot kick but the decision was quite controversial.

Real Madrid TV have shared their statement on the incident, saying (via Football Espana):

“There is absolutely nothing, the ball had already passed and it is Lino who is going to look for Tchouameni. The problem is that Soto Grado has his image frozen to make it look like the Frenchman is stepping on him, they are manipulating the images from the VAR because they show him when the toe of Tchouameni’s boot is on top of Lino, if you see the play later you realize that Lino dives in an unnatural way."

Real Madrid TV furiously slammed the referee and all the VAR officials, calling it a scandal. They said:

“We are facing the team most favoured by the system and by the VAR. There is absolutely nothing. It’s amazing. That he went to see this… De Burgos Bengoetxea is outrageous. I would leave the field. The most favoured team by the system. They have just awarded him a penalty. This is unfortunate. The filthy Negreira league.

“It’s not a penalty. Lamentable. New refereeing scandal. This is what De Burgos Bengoetxea and Soto Grado wanted, and what Medina Cantalejo wanted and what Spanish football wanted. What we are witnessing is absolute embarrassment. But how can they whistle this penalty! It is another day of embarrassment, and another new scandal.”

Los Blancos eventually equalized in the 50th minute through Kylian Mbappe to secure a draw.

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Carlo Ancelotti on the controversial penalty in Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

After the game, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the controversial penalty Atletico Madrid were awarded in the first half. However, he refused to speak about it, saying in his post-match press conference (via Managing Madrid):

“I don’t want to talk about the referee. Don’t ask.”

Later in the press conference, he added:

“The VAR blew the whistle for the penalty. The referee was very close and saw it clearly. I saw another penalty in Athletic-Girona... People in football don’t understand this.”

With the draw, Real Madrid remained at the top of the LaLiga table, with Atletico Madrid just a point behind them. Barcelona, meanwhile, are five points behind with a game in hand.

Los Blancos will next face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 playoff first leg on Tuesday, February 11.