Real Madrid has been hurt considerably by LaLiga’s inconsistent handball calls

The 2020/21 season has been a challenging one for Real Madrid. They had to face a lot of challenges this season. While the board has been facing losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are trying their best to cover up for them, the players and the manager Zinedine Zidane had their own share of trouble with injuries and the refereeing in LaLiga.

LaLiga referees have a history of sparking controversies with their calls and a lot of fan wars occur between the fanbases of Real Madrid and Barcelona with each section claiming that the referees favour the other club. The same can be observed in the articles of Catalunya-based media and Madrid-based media, with them often throwing mud at each other regarding the refereeing topic.

There is a popular notion in Spain that referees favour Real Madrid and a former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez claiming that “90% of the referees favour Real Madrid” added fuel to the fire. Such controversial claims can spread easily like wildfire, and create a false image at times. And after looking at the refereeing decisions this season in the Real Madrid games, one can easily question the credibility of such claims.

Because Real Madrid has been at the receiving end of many such calls made by the referee, which has been one of the most controversial talking points of this season. Real Madrid has often been left bemused with the refereeing calls this season, with many legit claims being overruled by the referees and VAR. They have won just three penalties in LaLiga this season, which is the joint lowest record this season.

With the introduction of technology and VAR in football, people expected consistent and fair decisions from the referees. But it has only paved a path for more controversies. And the inconsistencies in the operation of VAR have made it even worse because people started complaining even when the right decisions were given.

One of the most controversial issues is the handball rule. There has been a lot of debate about the handball rule because the rule has always remained unclear. Every season some minor changes are made to the handball rule, but the understanding and implementation have been different in the case of different referees, which lead to inconsistent calls. Real Madrid has been one such victim of inconsistent decisions in the case of handballs this season.

A lot of handball decisions have gone against Real Madrid this season

Real Madrid’s first issue with the handball rule came on 9th November 2020 in a LaLiga game against Valencia, where Valencia was awarded three penalties in the same game, with two of them being for handballs. The first penalty awarded due to a Lucas Vazquez handball looked legit because Vazquez blocked the cross with his hand in an unnatural position.

But the third penalty of the night awarded after a bizarre handball from Ramos looked controversial. It looked like Ramos deliberately punched away the ball with his fist, making it look like a Volleyball move. But some angles suggested that the ball deflected from Yunus Musah’s hand, before striking Ramos’ hand.

The next controversy was made after a 1-2 loss to Alaves, where a penalty was given in favour of Alaves, with the referee claiming that the ball hit Nacho’s arm. But Nacho was wrongly penalised as the ball hit the back of Nacho’s shoulder while he made a leap to block the cross. The worst part is that the referee chose not to consult VAR, and took a decision against Real Madrid in spite of rules stating that the ball hitting a shoulder shouldn’t be considered as a handball.

After 2 weeks, Real Madrid faced Athletic Bilbao at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano and won the game 3-1. But there were three claims for a handball from Real Madrid, which were ignored by the referee and VAR didn’t intervene as well. The handball from Ander Capa looked like the most obvious one after he handled Vinicius’ pass inside the penalty area. But the referee had different thoughts.

Then the biggest controversy was sparked after the game against Eibar in December 2020, when a handball wasn’t called against Sergio Ramos when the ball hit his elbow. Catalan media claimed that Eibar was robbed, while FC Barcelona’s manager Ronald Koeman went on to talk about the handball in a press conference.

Real Madrid were aggrieved by handball situations in two crucial matches

But to be honest, the referee gave the right decision there. Ramos’ elbow was in line with his body, and it didn’t make the body shape unnaturally bigger. Not to forget that Ramos was in mid-air which explains the position of his hands, and he couldn’t have sensed the header from such close range with his back facing the Eibar player. But what’s surprising here is that this right decision in favour of Real Madrid created more uproar than those that went against Real all season.

Then came an even bigger controversy in the Madrid derby held in March 2021, as Real Madrid were denied a penalty for a clear handball committed by Atletico Madrid’s Felipe. And the fact that the referee Hernandez Hernandez chose to not give a penalty even after seeing it on the VAR screen created a bigger controversy because of the referee’s history of giving controversial calls against Real Madrid.

Real Madrid’s spokesperson and legend Emilio Butragueno vent out his frustration before the media, as he went on to criticise the referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez. Though the manager Zinedine Zidane maintained a neutral stance and chose to respect the referee’s decision like he always does, the players were visibly upset with the call, with Casemiro claiming that Felipe’s handball denied him a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Zidane’s patience should be appreciated in the case of refereeing calls, but he reached his boiling point after the 2-2 draw against Sevilla, as the referee awarded a penalty to Sevilla for a handball committed by Militao. Though the video on the VAR screen suggested that the ball deflected off Militao’s shoulder before hitting his wrist, referee Munuero Montero chose to award a penalty to Sevilla, due to which Real Madrid’s penalty at the other end was called off.

Zidane usually never complains about anything, but after the full-time whistle was blown he went near the referee Montero and respectfully asked for an explanation. He also shared his own views in the post-match press conference, and he also talked about a handball committed by Joan Jordan which wasn’t given as a penalty.

There is no conspiracy, LaLiga just needs consistency

The latest controversy is of the handball committed by Jon Morcillo in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in a 1-0 win, which wasn’t called a penalty. It was one of the most surprising decisions made by the controversial referee Mateu Lahoz, as it looked like a crystal clear handball. Even MARCA’s refereeing expert Andujar Oliver thought the same. What makes it crazier is that Lucas Vazquez was penalised for a similar handball against Valencia, just six months ago.

I don’t want to talk about any conspiracy theories on LaLiga and referees having an agenda against Real Madrid. I do admit that they are humans, and they are prone to mistakes, as happened in the past. But the introduction of technology was meant to make refereeing much more consistent and easier, while the referees hesitate to use the same technology at times.

And in the case of handballs, it is really frustrating because each referee has their own interpretation of the handball rules, due to which the teams are suffering from inconsistent calls which go against them. After looking at all the above incidents, it is safe to say that Real Madrid has been one of the most affected sides.

What Real Madrid needs is fair and consistent decisions from the refereeing. And above all, every club needs clarity about the rules because it appears as if each referee is following the rules of their own. Real Madrid has dropped a considerable amount of points due to these refereeing decisions, which has actually affected the title race in which Real Madrid are just two points behind the league leaders Atletico Madrid. They wouldn’t like to face another such scenario in the future.