Carlo Ancelotti has hit back at La Liga president Javier Tebas' claims that Real Madrid have "lost their minds" over their referee complaints.
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Real Madrid make complaint over referee callLa Liga president says they've "lost their minds"Ancelotti hits back at Tebas' remarksFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Madrid filed a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as they were incensed that Espanyol's Carlos Romero was not sent off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe, with the defender later scoring the winner in last weekend's 1-0 victory. Tebas said Los Blancos have "constructed a story of victimhood" but manager Ancelotti says no team is happy with the standard of refereeing in La Liga.
AdvertisementAFPWHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID
He told reporters ahead of facing Atletico Madrid this weekend: "It's something that I'd prefer not to discuss before such an important game. But Tebas can stay calm. Nobody here has lost their minds. We've asked for an explanation of what happened, to try to improve things, to try to change the system.
"From what I hear, nobody is happy [with referees]. People think it's a system that favours Real Madrid, but when Real Madrid want to change it, everyone is against it. That surprises me a bit … We haven't received [the audio]. I don't know why they don't want to give it to us. You'd have to ask them."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
There are genuine concerns about refereeing standards in La Liga, particularly with the ongoing Negreira case – where Barcelona face charges of corruption over alleged payments made to a former official. But Madrid will have to move on from this when they host Atletico in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.
APWHAT NEXT?
It remains to be seen what will come of Madrid's complaint to the RFEF and if there will be any blowback on the Spanish giants for their actions.