Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s advisor Enric Masip says he continues to worry about refereeing in La Liga after a weekend where Real Madrid TV once again took aim at match officials.
Los Blancos beat Atletico 3-2 in the Madrid derby on Sunday night, but their TV channel was heavily critical of the decision to send off Fede Valverde.
The red card wasn’t the only controversial call in the game and Masip has questioned whether the same decisions would have been made in a game involving Barcelona.
“I’m always concerned about refereeing. I’m not saying I should be suspicious, but I am. And yes, I’m concerned because sometimes the same standards aren’t applied,” he told SER.
“To say that Real Madrid beat Atlético because of the referees would be fanatical and a very superficial statement, but there are some decisions that, had VAR intervened, would have changed the course of the match.
“If it had happened at the Camp Nou, perhaps VAR would have intervened and called a foul. And sometimes they say, ‘But it happened there too.’ For every one that happens here, there are eight there.”
Masip also highlighted the recent incident involving Antonio Rudiger after seeing the Real Madrid defender escape punishment for kneeing Diego Rico in the face. The CTA subsequently ruled Rudiger should have seen red for violent conduct.
“It’s about continuing to pressure the referees so they don’t lose momentum. That’s what they want. I remember Rüdiger’s knee incident,” he added.
“Then the CTA (Technical Committee of Referees) intervened and said the referee was wrong. And our match in San Sebastián (Olmo’s foul), the CTA intervened and said the referee was wrong.
“But those are points you can’t get back. It worries me, yes. I’d like there to be only one set of criteria. A single set of criteria, and not one that depends on who’s in charge.”
Madrid’s latest win keeps them four points behind Barcelona in the table. Barca take on Atletico when La Liga returns after the international break, while Real are up against Real Mallorca.
