According to reports, Real Madrid narrowly defeated Athletic Bilbao with a late goal from Fede Valverde in stoppage time, keeping their La Liga title hopes alive. However, Real Madrid TV (RMTV) chose to focus on criticizing refereeing decisions rather than celebrating the victory.

Two key incidents were highlighted: Vinicius Jr.’s disallowed goal due to a marginal offside call (only the tip of his boot was offside) and an unpenalized foul on Jude Bellingham by Unai Núñez, which RMTV experts argued should have been reviewed by VAR referee Martínez Munuera.

RMTV’s anger was so intense that they even aired footage from Barcelona’s match against Celta Vigo, which featured two major controversies: Rafinha’s unpunished violent conduct against Iago Aspas and a penalty awarded to Barcelona for a foul on Dani Olmo in stoppage time, converted by Rafinha. RMTV insisted Rafinha should have been sent off.

Regarding the disallowed goal, RMTV questioned the VAR frame selection: “Where is the ball in the semi-automated system? It’s unclear—we have to trust the system. How can we trust a system controlled by Clos Gómez and Mediapro? With this VAR, it’s impossible.”

After the VAR audio was released, criticism intensified: “This refereeing is a disgrace. It’s an insult to football fans, especially Real Madrid. This is another mistake by the refereeing committee (CTA) led by Medina Cantalejo. They’re incompetent but still rewarded. That’s why FIFA didn’t invite any Spanish referees to the Club World Cup. They’re either bad or suspicious—just like we suspect. This is shameful.”

On the Bellingham penalty claim, RMTV argued the incident was clear enough for VAR intervention, citing Carlo Ancelotti’s comments about “modern football”: “In this new football, such penalties are given against Real, like Camavinga’s in Pamplona when the ball wasn’t in play. If that was a penalty, why wasn’t this one? Munuera robbed Real of a title years ago and nearly did it again today.”

RMTV even joked: “They say VAR is still reviewing Valverde’s goal to see if they can disallow it.”

Despite the win, RMTV vowed to continue exposing refereeing errors: “Today, after winning, we have more right than ever to raise these issues. They tried to eliminate Real from La Liga, but we’re still fighting.”

This stance underscores Real Madrid’s determination to protest refereeing decisions as they compete with Barcelona in La Liga and prepare for the Copa del Rey final.