Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was left fuming over several referee decisions in their 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday, extending their winless LaLiga run to three games.
Ancelotti was particularly critical of the VAR for not intervening in three possible penalties for what he thought were fouls on Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, as well as a handball inside the box by Alejandro Catena.
Ancelotti's frustration was further compounded when Osasuna was awarded a penalty after Eduardo Camavinga's stomp on Ante Budimir's foot inside Real's box. Croatian striker Budimir duly scored from the spot to cancel out Kylian Mbappe's first-half opener.
"I believe there were things that have happened in these last three games that everyone has seen and I don't want to add more, because I'm looking forward to being on the bench in the next game," Ancelotti told a press conference on Saturday.
Ancelotti also complained about the red card shown to Bellingham in the 39th minute, arguing that the English midfielder had not insulted the referee.
Ancelotti's frustration adds more fuel to Real's clashes with refereeing, after the club complained against the Spanish league's match officials earlier in February.
Real earned a point to stay on top of LaLiga in what is shaping up to be a tight title race. Ancelotti's side sit on 51 points, one ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid and three clear of third-placed Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
5 Comments
Karamba
“Great point by Carlo; if the VAR intervened on those potential penalties, the outcome might’ve been different.”
Rotfront
“Every game has controversial calls – his constant griping is getting old.”
Matzomaster
“Real Madrid must be on alert – consistent bad calls can seriously undermine the team’s efforts.”
BuggaBoom
“Seriously? Blaming the VAR and the refs just seems like an excuse for a poor performance.”
Loubianka
“I support Ancelotti’s stance. When fouls and handballs go unnoticed, it affects the game’s fairness.”