MADRID-. The controversial decision that favored the Real Madrid this weekend resonated further, after the Spanish powerhouse avoided an embarrassing defeat against the worst team in the Spanish league.
Madrid benefited from three-second video reviews and scored in added time to erase a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 home win against last-place Almeria on Sunday. With this result he avoided losing points and damaging the possibility of winning the title.
The overturned decisions were so close that they were open to interpretation, including two handball incidents, but by the time of the third VAR decision that benefited the Spanish giant to the detriment of its rival, the game was already the topic of conversation in football. Spanish.
“Someone decided we couldn’t win,” said Almería defender Marc Pubill.
“We leave with the feeling that the game has been stolen from us,” added Gonzalo Melero.
Coach Gaizka Garitano indicated: “I have no words to say what happened.” He clarified that he is not going to say more so that they do not sanction him.
The complaints went beyond Almería — the Saudi-owned club that was unable to end its 21-match winless streak in the league.
“Theft,” Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo headlined on its front page on Monday.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta criticized the incidents during the duel in Madrid.
“The Bernabéu thing was a shame,” he said on Monday. “The referee team has to respond to the pressures that exist throughout the season. If they don’t, they will leave us uneasy.”
The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid usually leads to disputes with refereeing, with both teams accusing each other of being favored by the officials. Last year Barcelona was formally accused of paying millions of euros over several years to a company that belonged to the vice president of the arbitration committee.
On the other hand, commentators on Real Madrid television said that justice was done on Sunday and that the decisions were correct. The Madrid coach indicated that he understood why Almería was upset, but that for him the decisions were the correct ones.
The Spanish league published the audios of the VAR discussion—and it has done everything this year—but Almería complained that the referee did not receive all angles of the plays.
Discussions over refereeing decisions will surely continue in Spain, even if the final result does not change — Madrid is still fighting for the title and Almería is still without a win.
Source: AP
