Referee justifies non-red card decision during Real Madrid’s defeat to Espanyol – Football España

Real Madrid are still reeling from their defeat to Espanyol on Saturday night, which saw the gap at the top of La Liga close to a solitary point. Specifically, the reigning champions are enraged at the decision not to send off Carlos Romero in the second half, especially as it was he that scored the winning goal for Los Pericos.

On the hour mark at the Stage Front Stadium, Romero tried to stop Kylian Mbappe racing away with the ball, and in doing so, he caught the Real Madrid attacker very high. He was shown a yellow card by on-field referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, and the decision was backed by VAR official Javier Iglesias Villanueva, much to the chagrin of Los Blancos.

After the match, Carlo Ancelotti called the decision “inexplicable”, while the matter was taken even by Real Madrid TV, who launched a furious tirade aimed at Muniz Ruiz and Iglesias Villanueva, as well as Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan and also Luis Medina Cantajelo, who is in charge of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

Diario AS have now revealed the contents of Muniz Ruiz’s referee report, and how he described the incident between Romero and Mbappe.

“Carlos was cautioned for the following reason: For recklessly knocking down an opponent in the dispute for the ball.”

It was 25 minutes after this moment that Romero volleyed home from Omar El Hilali’s cross to score the only goal of the game, and that’s when the fury went overboard for Real Madrid, who were unable to find an equaliser in the closing stages.

There is little that Real Madrid can do about the result now, and they must look ahead. They make the short trip to Leganes in midweek for their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie, before a blockbuster Madrid derby next weekend against Atletico Madrid, who are breathing down their neck in La Liga.