Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa once again pointed the finger at the refereeing after his team failed to secure a victory against Girona on Friday night in La Liga.
The focal point of the post-match press conference was the penalty that was not awarded in the final minute after Kylian Mbappé went down in the box, a decision the manager deemed completely unacceptable.
Arbeloa expressed his outrage at the decision, saying, “For me, it’s a penalty, even if we’re on the moon… Well, it’s just another incident in the record; another incident in another week. That’s the reality we live in.”
Mbappé was seen bleeding after a collision with Vítor Reis, and when Arbeloa was asked why VAR didn’t intervene, he replied, “No… no… I myself don’t understand it, and I don’t think anyone does. When does VAR intervene? I imagine it intervenes when it’s appropriate, and when it’s not, it disappears.”
“I gave my opinion yesterday, and these events confirm it completely,” he added. “It’s crystal clear, in my opinion. They called a foul on Kylian in the first half that was far less serious than the penalty. That’s all there is to it; we have countless problems with referees… with this referee in particular… and last week in Mallorca… the same old story repeats itself.”
With the gap to Barcelona nearing nine points, Arbeloa refuses to give up, insisting that Real Madrid will fight for the La Liga title until the very last moment.
“I will only feel the title is lost the day we officially lose it,” said the coach, who was appointed in January. “Until that happens, we will keep fighting. As I always tell you: if we lose the title one day, we will have no choice but to go onto the pitch in every match to defend our badge and give our best performance. This is Real Madrid… we will fight until the last day.”
