Real Madrid to file formal complaint to FIFA over controversial VAR decisions in La Liga

Dissatisfied with refereeing decisions in La Liga, Real Madrid will file a formal complaint with FIFA.

For some time now, Real Madrid have strongly criticized how refereeing and VAR operate in La Liga. As a result, the club has announced it will submit a formal complaint to FIFA, aiming to push for concrete measures to put an end to these controversies.

The trigger for this situation was Saturday’s La Liga Matchday 4 game against Real Sociedad. Los Blancos secured a 2-1 victory that keeps them top of the standings with a perfect record. However, several incidents during the match in San Sebastian sparked the ire of the Spanish giants.

At the 32-minute mark of the first half, Real Madrid were leading 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappe when referee Jesus Gil Manzano showed Dean Huijsen a direct red card for a foul on Mikel Oyarzabal, deeming it a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity for Real Sociedad.

The play was reviewed by VAR, but the referee was not called back to reconsider his decision. This angered Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, who was booked for his protests. Tensions grew even more in the second half when a goal by Arda Guler was disallowed due to a prior offside by Mbappe.

“News: Madrid are preparing a dossier on refereeing incidents in these first four league rounds and last season to send to FIFA so they take note of what is happening in Spain,” announced Real Madrid TV shortly after Saturday’s match. “It’s a shame we have to talk about this scandal instead of Mbappe’s great performance or (Aurelien) Tchouameni’s 150th match… Madrid will present this report so FIFA can take note.”

Xabi Alonso’s comments

After the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, Xabi Alonso held a press conference where he expressed his dissatisfaction with Huijsen’s sending off. “For me, it was a yellow card; Militao was close and the ball wasn’t under control. Watching the replay, I haven’t changed my opinion,” the coach began before sharing his conversation with the referee. “I asked him, he gave me his explanation, and it didn’t convince me. And I’ll leave it at that.”

Alonso also criticized VAR’s role during the match. “When there are clear errors, I like it to intervene. I don’t want to focus only on the referee’s performance, although it affected the match a lot.”

The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona comparison

Recently, Real Madrid have pointed to an alleged bias favoring Barcelona in refereeing decisions in La Liga, which is one of the main motivations behind their upcoming complaint to FIFA.

They especially highlight the disparity in red cards given to each team and their opponents over recent years. “Madrid can’t understand how, in the 21st century, Barcelona have a positive differential of more than 65 matches playing with a numerical advantage, while Real Madrid have a negative differential of two matches,” reports Marca.

“Madrid are no longer just complaining about refereeing decisions, but their report will also include incidents such as the Rayo-Barça match being played without VAR during parts of the game, coinciding, for example, with a non-existent penalty on Lamine Yamal,” adds the Spanish newspaper. “Madrid will take all this to FIFA, a complaint meant as pressure against what they consider ‘a constant injustice.’”