The first El Clasico of the season is just around the corner, with Real Madrid set to lock horns with Barcelona at Camp Nou on October 25.
It promises to be a feisty encounter as the relationship between the two clubs have steadily deteriorated ever since the fall of the European Super League project.
Days ahead of this encounter, Real Madrid have now escalated the conflict with a fresh video on RMTV.
Real Madrid take shots at Barcelona
Indeed, Real Madrid’s official channel has now highlighted several refereeing flaws in the club’s recent win over Real Betis, through its latest program, reportsMundo Deportivo.
The animosity between Barcelona and Real Madrid continues. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The segment, which precedes the press conferences of Jose Mourinho and Ibrahima Konate, took aim at what it perceives as preferential treatment for Barça’s players when dealing with officials.
“We’re on the verge of the best competition in the world, the Champions League. There’s no dirty tricks or foul play here. And I’m sure the Leipzig players aren’t going to ask the referee to review VAR like the Barça players did in Seville,” a program began.
The reference was to the incident in which Pedri and Lamine Yamal protested for a handball in the build-up to Lo Celso’s goal, prompting referee De Burgos Bengoetxea to remark: “Check the handball, that’s what they’re asking me to do.”
Warning ahead of the Clasico
Are the odds stacked against Mourinho’s men. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
From there, the channel escalated its rhetoric, framing the upcoming Clasico as a contest stacked against Los Blancos.
“Now the Barça players are the new referees and they demand VAR on demand. When our players approach the referee, they’re kept away, but the Barça players have free rein,” the program stated.
The show then delivered the most provocative line of all, suggesting Madrid would be up against far more than 11 opponents at the Camp Nou.
“That’s why next Sunday we’ll be facing 17 referees: those on the pitch, those in VAR, and the 11 Barcelona players,” the show concluded.
This will not go down well with Barcelona, though the Catalans are, at the moment, focused on their upcoming battle against Paris Saint-Germain, whereas Real Madrid are slated to take on RB Leipzig tomorrow night, in the UEFA Champions League.