Real Madrid sense no progress in CTA as frustration mounts over refereeing decisions | OneFootball

Real Madrid secured a 2-1 win over Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu, making it three victories from three in La Liga and giving them a perfect nine-point start.

Yet, when the final whistle blew, what dominated conversations among both fans and club leaders were the three goals controversially disallowed against Los Blancos.

According to MARCA, for many, the result itself felt secondary. The frustration came from the feeling that they had “already seen this movie before”

Moments of confusion over frames, VAR audios, and long waits that always seem to go against Real Madrid, the club’s management had known what would happen.

The atmosphere around the stadium was one of disbelief, with supporters leaving angry despite celebrating another league win.

Lack of faith in refereeing system

Part of the anger comes from Madrid’s involvement in the CTA reform process, the body in charge of refereeing in Spain.

While the club participated in discussions, leaders believe the changes have been superficial.

In their view, nothing meaningful has changed, regardless of how the new system has been presented.

Real Madrid are not happy with the refereeing decisions. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Examples were quickly cited, including questionable incidents in Mallorca’s match against Barcelona on the opening weekend and the clear mistake by Gonzalez Fuertes during the VAR review of Alaves vs Atletico Madrid.

These cases add to Madrid’s scepticism that Spanish refereeing is moving in the right direction.

Transparency was one of the key demands Madrid made during the reform talks. The club and other teams wanted clear explanations for refereeing decisions, as well as insight into how officials are assessed and rated.

On Saturday, referee Sanchez Martinez explained his reasoning on the pitch to Xabi Alonso and the players.

He ruled out Arda Guler’s goal for handball and told Mbappe his disallowed strike was “very close” to being offside.

Still, doubts linger about the reliability of the frame used to decide the Frenchman’s position, something outside Martínez’s control.

Regardless of whether the decisions were correct or not, such an occurrence is rare, and it left a strong impression on fans.

Even with a perfect record to start the season, the anger inside the Bernabeu showed just how little trust remains between Real Madrid and the refereeing system in Spain.