Sevilla president José María del Nido Carrasco hit out at Real Madrid on Sunday, accusing them of “trying to destroy Spanish football” with their complaints over refereeing decisions.
Madrid filed a formal complaint over the referee’s handling of their 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Espanyol on Feb. 1, asking the Spanish football federation to release audio recordings of conversations between the on-field referee and VAR around two key incidents, including the decision not to send off defender Carlos Romero — who later scored the winner — for a foul on Kylian Mbappé.
Madrid’s open letter called Spain’s refereeing system “totally discredited,” saying decisions against them represented “manipulation and adulteration of the competition,” in language which was rejected by their fellow clubs in a meeting with LaLiga and the federation on Thursday.
“We have to differentiate two things: being able to modify the refereeing system and some aspects of refereeing, and Real Madrid’s statement,” Del Nido Carrasco said, speaking to broadcaster DAZN ahead of Sevilla’s 4-1 defeat to Barcelona on Sunday.
“It’s intolerable and unacceptable. It brings into question the honour of referees and the competition. The world of football should denounce, publicly and in the courts, a statement which goes against football’s integrity.”
Real Madrid have frequently criticised refereeing decisions using their club TV channel, including in Saturday’s derby draw with Atlético Madrid at the Bernabéu, when the visitors were awarded a first-half penalty — after a VAR check — for 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 said. “We can’t tolerate that a club like Real Madrid try to destroy us … First of all, we give our unconditional support to referees. 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.”
Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Atlético, coupled with Barcelona’s win, means that just two points separate the three teams at the top of the LaLiga table, with Madrid top, Atlético second, and Barça third.