Real Madrid have once again found themselves in the middle of a controversy in the seventh round of La Liga. After the uproar caused by the penalty awarded to Endrick in the match against Espanyol, the Brazilian has once again been the protagonist of one of the most questioned refereeing decisions in the match between Real Madrid and Alavés.
The Whites managed to get the three points and Mbappé scored a real goal but all that has been overshadowed by Endrick’s entrance, Vinicius’ controversial attitude and the flood of yellow cards for protests. Real Madrid striker Endrick earned a red card for kicking Mouriño in the crotch, but it was simply left with a yellow card, to the stupefaction of the visiting bench.
After the match, the Alavés coach expressed his displeasure at a press conference: “Afterwards, We may not win or they may score another goal, but they have to play without that player. Nobody can say that it is not a red card, everyone sees it. “I also understand that the referee doesn’t see it, but that’s what the VAR is for. It’s a red card because he only intended to hit. It’s a red card and I recognise that there were some yellow cards for Real Madrid that could have been avoided, but we should have played against ten men,” he said.
Another of the controversies were the yellow cards given to several Real Madrid players, some of which could be very severe according to the rival coach himself.
But how does the referee justify these actions?
The Royal Spanish Football Federation posted the match report, where you can read the reasons for the cards that were shown to the white team and which so angered both teams. Madrid for the yellow cards after protests and Alavés for Endrick’s yellow card instead of the red card. In Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz’s report, it is striking that three of the cards that the white team received were for criticising his decisions and it dismisses Endrick’s action as reckless. “In the 83rd minute, Moreira de Sousa’s player, Endrick Felipe, was cautioned for the following reason: For recklessly bringing down an opponent” reads the referee’s report.
Another of the actions that most outraged Real Madrid fans regarding the referee’s work was the recent yellow card he showed to Luka Modric when he was supposed to be able to speak with the captain. As with Valverde and Vinicius, the referee makes it clear that this is a warning for disapproving gestures or for questioning his decisions.