"We are now used to this" - Barcelona chief Joan Laporta believes Real Madrid have 'benefitted from refereeing' this season

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has suggested that Real Madrid have received a lot of help from referees this season. The executive went on to add that it was not a singular occurrence, referring to Los Blancos' controversial win over Almeria on Sunday (January 21).

Laporta said (via Mundo Deportivo):

"Our opponent (Real Madrid) obtained a series of points thanks to the refereeing. The competition has changed. It’s not just about this Sunday. We’ve been analyzing this issue for a long time. We are now used to this. Our rival has benefitted from refereeing.”

Speaking ahead of their match against Athletic Club, Barcelona manager Xavi added to the claims, stating that undue pressure was being exerted on the officials. Many believe he was referring to Los Blancos' in-house media which releases a video of controversial decisions on their channel before every match.

The game in question against Almeria saw VAR come to Madrid's rescue three times. They were given a penalty for a handball in the box while their opponents had a goal struck down. Finally, Vinicius Jr's winner was allowed to stand after the ball appeared to strike his upper arm. Ancelotti's side ended up winning the game 3-2 after being 2-0 down.

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Barcelona manager takes sneaky dig at Real Madrid following win at Real Betis

Barcelona's Xavi has opened up on the refereeing situation.

Barcelona manager Xavi suggested that winning the league will be extremely difficult for his side this season. The Spaniard seemed to refer to Real Madrid's controversial win over Almeria and added how they have lost points due to poor officiating this season.

Speaking after their 4-2 win over Real Betis, he said (via Barca Blaugranes):

“I already said it after the Getafe game: winning the league this year will be very difficult. I’ll stick with the words of Garitano, and the words of the journalist Alfredo Relaño,” Xavi told reporters.

“We would have had six more points if things were done correctly...We have the penalty in Getafe, then in Vallecas, the goal in Granada by Joao Félix. They are realities. But this is not talked about. We can’t do anything but continue working.

“We continue in the fight. There are 18 points left and it remains to be seen how far we will go, but there are things we cannot control . Everyone saw it today.”

Los Blancos were apparently at the receiving end of some favorable decisions as they completed a come-from-behind victory over Almeria. They are now second in La Liga (51), a point behind leaders Girona (52) but with a game in hand.

Barcelona, meanwhile, moved up a spot to get to third in the league with their win over Los Verdiblancos. They are still seven points off Ancelotti's side and a title defence looks difficult.