Seville Coach Luis Garcia Plaza claimed Arda Guler escaped a red card last night because La Liga wanted him to Real Madrid win to close the gap on Barcelona ahead of next week’s Clasico.
Those from Garcia Plaza lost 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu – a result that allowed Madrid to move six points behind Barça – but the match was shrouded in controversy with Guler escaping what looked like an obvious red card for elbowing Peque Fernández as the pair collided midway through the first half.
Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer did not see the incident while VAR Guillermo Cuadrs Fernandez chose to take no action. The flashpoint led to a melee in which Madrid’s Dean Huijsen and Sevilla captain Felix Correia were booked.
Real Madrid benefits from lax refereeing
To make matters worse for Sevilla, Guler scored the first goal for Madrid soon after and from there the home side crossed with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Yan Diomande scoring another. Manu Bueno pulled one back for the visitors but they felt a distinct sense of injustice after the game.
Garcia Plaza said: “A game is 11 against 11, but we have been deprived of playing 11 against 10. In the league sometimes we play games with more or less numbers and today we had to play with more.
“We have to play 11 against 10 from the 25th minute. It’s unbelievable. It’s the summary of the game, we don’t know what would have happened.”
García Plaza affirms that the considerations of the classic influenced the decision-making
Asked why the VAR had not intervened, Garcia Plaza added: “I don’t know. Maybe because they (Madrid) would go nine points ahead of Barça in the Clásico if we win? You have to talk more with the VAR than with the referee, who may not have seen it. With Barça, Madrid and Atlético there are many more cameras on the field of play, which is why the VAR is very clear.”
Sevilla’s complaints came just 24 hours after Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini aired his frustrations at what he perceived as a series of decisions that went in Barcelona’s favor on Saturday night as the league leaders won 5-2 at La Cartuja.
And while Madrid and Barça frequently engage in verbal confrontation over the refereeing standard in Spain, Garcia Plaza emphasized that, in his opinion, they are among the two clubs that benefit the most.
He said: “The ones who complain the most are the ones who have the least to complain about: Madrid, Barca and Atlético. I’ve been at this for a long time and it’s always the same story.”