Real Madrid criticized refereeing through its official channel following the 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca on Sunday in the opening round of La Liga. According to the Spanish newspaper "AS," Real Madrid's channel believes that referee Soto Grado denied the team two penalty kicks and failed to send off a Mallorca player.
The channel demanded the first penalty kick when Mbappe launched from midfield, was about to enter Mallorca's penalty area, and was brought down by Maffeo. Referee Soto Grado did not signal anything, but the Madrid channel considered it a penalty. The channel stated: "The Mallorca player was clearly not concerned with the ball and held onto Mbappe; it is incomprehensible that the referee did not award anything."
Right-back Maffeo was also under scrutiny in another incident, this time with Vinicius, as he stepped on the Brazilian player's calf near the touchline and received a yellow card. However, the royal club's channel believes he deserved more than that.
In the second half, following a set piece, Bellingham reached the second post and sent the ball toward the penalty area. When Militao tried to shoot, he was pulled down by Vallejant by the shirt. The Real channel stated: "Referee Soto Grado did not see anything warranting intervention and was not alerted by the VAR, but it was a penalty, especially when considering the penalty awarded to Barcelona at the Mestalla."
The Real channel strongly criticized Media Pro, the company responsible for broadcasting La Liga matches, saying: "It is unacceptable that there was no better replay for the penalty against Militao. There are several culprits: the referees and the broadcast. Media Pro does what it wants, and the evidence is clear."
It concluded: "In theory, these fouls should have been called, but this did not happen because the shirt belongs to Real Madrid."
