Real Madrid have escalated their long-running battle with Spanish referees by announcing plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA following another controversial decision in La Liga.
The Spanish champions defeated Real Sociedad 2–1 on Saturday, but the victory was overshadowed by the first-half dismissal of centre-back Dean Huijsen.
Referee Jesús Gil Manzano judged the defender to have denied Mikel Oyarzabal a clear goalscoring opportunity when bringing him down in the 32nd minute.
Madrid’s bench reacted furiously, arguing that Éder Militão was covering, and head coach Xabi Alonso labelled the call “an exaggerated interpretation” after the final whistle.
Within hours, Real Madrid TV confirmed that the club would compile a dossier of contentious decisions from the opening four rounds of the new season, along with incidents from last year, to be submitted directly to FIFA.
“A report is being prepared so that FIFA takes good note of what is happening in Spanish football with regard to refereeing,” the channel said.
This latest move intensifies an already strained relationship between Madrid and Spain’s officiating establishment.
Last season, the club issued a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation after a contentious 1–0 loss to Espanyol, when referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz allowed Carlos Romero to remain on the pitch despite a heavy challenge on Kylian Mbappé. Romero went on to score the decisive goal.
The timing of Madrid’s escalation is particularly pointed. Only this week, the RFEF’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) launched “Review Time”, a new initiative designed to admit and analyse refereeing errors.
The committee has already acknowledged Barcelona’s opener against Valencia was wrongly awarded. Huijsen’s red card is expected to feature in an upcoming review, though Madrid appear unwilling to wait.
