'A disgrace, a scandal' - Real Madrid slam La Liga refereeing after Valverde dismissal against Atletico

Martin Macdonald

• 23 Mar 2026 03:36 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Real Madrid have again slammed the level of officiating in La Liga after Federico Valverde was sent off in the Madrid derby against Atletico on Sunday.

Los Blancos won the match 3-2 thanks to a double from Vinicius Junior and a goal from Valverde himself, but they had to play the remaining 13 minutes of play with 10 men after the Uruguayan was dismissed after a hack at Alex Baena.

The official's match report later claimed Valverde "kicked an opponent, without being within striking distance, using excessive force".

Even though Madrid claimed all three points, they remain outraged at the decision and Real Madrid TV was used to spout some criticisms towards referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero post-match.

“This is a scandal, this is a disgrace, that sums up this action. It’s a clear yellow card offence, it’s blatant, but if we remember what happened in Pamplona we can understand this and why VAR didn’t call him,” it was said on the club's official TV channel.

“You’re going to hear that the problem is Real Madrid TV, that they make videos. We’re doing this to denounce the fact that this can never be a red card, it’s a textbook yellow. Baena touches the ball, moves it away, and that’s why Valverde doesn’t touch it. He [the referee] didn’t try to ruin the derby, he tried to ruin Real Madrid, which isn’t the same thing. Then we’ll see ‘Time for Justification,’ where they might even agree with him.

“I’m sure he’ll justify this action and say that both the referee and the VAR official were right. This can’t be; a player shouldn’t be sent off for this. Then they’ll try to sell you a load of rubbish, they’ll talk about intensity, that there’s no ball. Of course there’s the ball, but Valverde can’t reach it because Baena touches it.”

The Pamplona reference is apparently due to the fact that Thibaut Courtois gave away a penalty in a loss against Osasuna in February, in which VAR judged that he had stood on the foot of striker Ante Budimir. Los Blancos would go on to lose that match 2-1.

Madrid's interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa was asked about Valverde's red after the match and although he doesn't agree with the decision, he did reveal that he received an explanation from the referee.

He said: “We showed character and mental strength. We had to suffer with one less player. I have a different view of the red card, but I thank Jose Luis for coming to explain to me why he sent him off. We were able to take the three points, which is what we wanted.

“He told me that it was excessive force and I don’t consider it as such. There is no intent to hurt or injure the opponent. It’s my view, different from his. But he came to explain it and I appreciate it. Sometimes it’s appreciated, even if it doesn’t change anything. The red card made everything more difficult and we had to suffer a lot. Every victory is a turning point. Now comes a fight for the league. Objective accomplished.”

The Negreira case

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has accused Real Madrid of catalysing a 'smear' campaign against the Catalan side following the fallout from the Negreira case investigation.

What is the Negreira case?

Barcelona have been ordered by a Spanish court to provide every and all documents relating to €7 million worth of payments made to one Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira - the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

The payments to Negreira were made between 2001 and 2018.

The situation was then exacerbated as investigators found that there was no paper trail available for these payments. If there once was a paper trail, it has been lost.

Barcelona allege that these payments were made for consulting purposes as Negreira provided them with scouting reports on referees.

Real Madrid and president Florentino Perez demanded an inquiry into the payments and they have been the main pursuers of alleged justice.

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