One poor point separates Atletico Madrid and Alexander Sørloth from standing together with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. This is the season where the city rivals will follow each other all the way, where every single goal, every point can be the deciding factor. After the last league round, Real Madrid sparked a debate about the referees in La Liga after a loss to Espanyol and an official complaint about what Real thought was a clear penalty they were cheated of. In the other part of Madrid, the angry outbursts from Real’s club president are taken as unjustified whining.
The complaint Real Madrid sent in after the Espanyol loss was with wording reminiscent of something you write while it boils in your head, not an official and well-founded complaint against a referee’s decision: “… It represents the culmination of a completely rotten refereeing system, where decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and cheating that can no longer be ignored.”
On Saturday, the city derby between Atletico and Real will kick off, with the Atletico-Madrid management sending a message on social media that distances itself completely from Real Madrid’s advance.
“We want to send all our support and solidarity to the refereeing team and their families and friends. These are very tough days for the football family. We send you strength, writes Atletico Madrid.
