Referees ‘declare war’ against Real Madrid with shock red card decision

As soon as Real Madrid landed in San Sebastián for tonight’s Copa del Rey match against Real Sociedad, the phones of the coaching staff, players, and directors were buzzing with the news that Antony would be available to play on Saturday against Los Blancos.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation had overturned the red card shown to him by referee Alberola Rojas in Betis' match against Getafe.

Referees have ‘declared war’ against Madrid

“This is unbelievable. In their eagerness to go after Madrid, they’re even disregarding legal precedents,” said members of the Madrid delegation in northern Spain, speaking to AS. “Overturning a red card that was clearly assessed by the refereeing body and well-documented in the match report is like allowing referees to re-officiate games after the fact. They aren’t holding back—they did this with the sole intention of harming us. They’ve declared war and will use any means necessary, even if it means undermining the very referees they claim to defend. We can only imagine how Alberola Rojas must feel. It’s disgraceful.”

‘They are attacking us by land, sea, and air’

What has caused the most astonishment within the club is the reasoning behind the decision to rescind Antony’s red card. Madrid insists that the ruling blatantly distorts reality, describing an incident that never happened. Alberola’s match report from the Coliseum stated that Antony was sent off “for tackling from behind an opponent without the possibility of contesting the ball, using excessive force.” That, Madrid argues, is exactly what happened. Antony was two meters away from the ball, and his challenge made no attempt to play it, as it was already out of his reach.

Despite this, the Disciplinary Committee effectively re-officiated the play, issuing a ruling that seems to disregard the referees’ authority. Their justification reads:

“After reviewing the footage, it is clear that player D. Antony Matheus dos Santos never takes his eyes off the ball controlled by the opposing player. He attempts to intercept the ball’s trajectory with his left foot, but ultimately fails. There is no evidence of an intent to foul the Getafe player—only an attempt to reach the ball.”

The decision has left Alberola Rojas stunned, as he is currently in South America.

At Madrid, frustration is mounting. “In just 24 hours, we’ve witnessed what can only be described as a campaign against everything related to Real Madrid,” club sources claim. “First, they schedule our match against Villarreal at a ridiculous time, giving us less rest than Barça and Atleti, hoping for a poor result. Then, Tebas disrespects our coach—one of the most respected figures in football, except by the League president and the Federation’s vice president. And now, this Antony situation. They are attacking us by land, sea, and air. But we will fight to the end with pride. We won’t bow to this nonsense.”

Betis surprised by Antony decision

Even within Betis, there was some surprise at the Committee’s decision. While they had hoped Antony would be available, they did not have high expectations that their appeal would succeed. However, the squad was in high spirits on Wednesday after learning that the Brazilian—who has made an immediate impact since arriving in January—would be able to play against Real Madrid. In just four LaLiga matches, he has already scored three goals and provided two assists, with two more assists in the UEFA Conference League.

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Meanwhile, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has remained silent on the Disciplinary Committee’s decision. However, the frustration among officials is clear, as expressed by AS and Cadena SER refereeing analyst Iturralde González, who said on SER Deportivos that “the CTA considers this a clear red card, and they will make that clear to referees on Friday.” The controversy surrounding the decision continues to stir debate, with many questioning the integrity of the process.

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